A  Manual  of  Instruction 


IN 


CiitacH  History. 


BY 

TH5  Rev.  George  W.  Shinn, 

Newton,    Mass., 

AUTHOR  OF   "A   MANUAL  OF  INSTRUCTION   UPON   THE   COLLECTS,   EPISTLES 

AND  GOSPELS,"'  AND   "A  MANUAL  OP  INSTRUCTION 

UPON  THE  PRAYER  BOOK.'1 


I 


$efo-g  ork : 

H?.    'WHITTAKER, 

No.  2  Bible  H  hjse, 

1881. 


Columbia  (Bntoet#itp 


THE  LIBRARIES 


J 


MANUAL  OF  INSTRUCTION 


I 


CHURCH   HISTORY. 


BY 

THE   REV.   GEORGE   W.  SHINN, 

NEWTON,    MASS. 

AUTHOR   OF  "  A  MANUAL  OF  INSTRUCTION   UPON  THE  COLLECTS    WIS?  LEt 

AND   GOSPELS,"  AND   "A   MANUAL  OF  INSTRUCTION   U^ON 

THE    TRAVER    BOO!:." 


•  »« 


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rr.    "*at  "rc  i  rrrr js.  i^.  -et i=l. 

k        ,    i  b    5    »  r 


^0.    2   ElBLS  IIOU*K. 


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Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1876,  by 

T.  WlIITTAKER, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


* 
•  *   • 


ORPHANST'    Vr¥sS«-CI>LT'RCH   CHARITY    FOUNDATION. 


»       < 


TABLE  OF.  CONTENTS. 


1.  The  Church  of  God  before   the  Christian 

ERA 7 

2.  The  Condition  of  the  World  when  Christ 

CAME II 

3.  The  Earthly  Life  of  Christ 16 

4.  The  Features  of  the  Church  established 

by  Christ 22 

5.  The  Church  in  Apostolic  Days 27 

6.  Those  who  helped  the  Apostles 35 

7.  The  Days  of  Persecution 40 

8.  The  Fathers  of  the  Church 48 

9.  The  Church  in  the  Days  of  Const antine.  .  57 

10.  The  Great  Councils  of  the  Church 62 

11.  The  Period  covered  by  the  Great  Councils.  71 

12.  The  Great  Names  that  appear  during  the 

Councils 75 

13.  From  the  Sixth  General  Council  to  the 

first  Division 79 

14.  From  the  Division  of  the  Church  to  the 

Reformation 90 

15.  The  Reformation  Period 102 

16.  Since  the  Reformation no 

17.  The  Christian  World  as  it  is  to-day 134 

On  the  study  of  Church  History  by  classes.  142 

Outline  Lessons 144 

Books  of  Reference 148 


prefIce. 


Church  History  is  a  greatly  neglected  study. 
It  is  rarely  taken  up  even  in  the  course  prescribed 
in  our  Church  schools.  With  the  exception  of 
occasional  parochial  discourses,  very  little  effort  is 
made  to  instruct  our  congregations  as  to  the  origin 
and  the  development  of  the  Church. 

One  of  the  reasons  for  this  general  neglect  of 
what  is  admitted  to  be  a  really  interesting  and  im- 
portant study,  is  the  lack  of  suitable  volumes  upon 
the  subject. 

Not  that  there  is  a  scarcity  of  Church  Histories, 
but  they  are  usually  too  erudite  and  too  large  to 
command  the  attention  of  other  than  regular  stu- 
dents. Young  people  in  our  schools,  and  th« 
general  reader,  can  hardly  be  interested  in  the 
minute  details  of  controversies,  or  in  the  exact  shad* 
ing  of  heresies,  or  in  the  connected  history  of  obscure 
points,  but  might  be  interested  in  viewing  the  great 


VI  PREFACE. 

landmarks,  and  in  tracing  the  connection  between 
what  now  is,  and  what  has  been. 

The  present  volume  is  designed  to  supply  some 
such  outline.  If  a  book  of  so  few  pages  does  not 
include  everything  of  interest  and  importance,  it  is 
by  no  means  surprising,  when  the  greatness  of  the 
field  is  considered. 

The  author's  hope  is  that  it  may  be  useful  as  an 
introduction  to  the  more  careful  study  of  standard 
works,  may  serve  as  a  text  book  in  schools,  and 
may  be  helpful  to  those  who  would  trace  out  the 
Church's  lirtage. 


MANUAL  OF  INSTRUCTION. 


-♦-♦- 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD  BEFORE  THE  CHRIS- 
TIAN ERA. 

JEWISH    CHURCH ABRAHAM — PROMISES   TO    OUR  FIRST 

PARENTS — DOCTRINE    OF   THE   UNITY   OF  GOD — AGES 
OF   PREPARATION. 

Although  we  speak  of  the  Christian  Church  as 
having  been  organized  on  the  day  of  Pentecost, 
A.  D.  34,  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  it  would  be  a 
mistake  to  think  of  it  as  starting  out  then  as  some- 
thing entirely  distinct  from  all  that  had  preceded 
it.  In  one  view  the  Christian  Church  is  the  con- 
tinuation of  the  Jewish  Church.  More  than  this, 
it  is  the  continuation  of  the  Church  of  God  which 
existed  from  the  calling  of  Abraham  out  of  idolatry. 
And  still  beyond  this,  it  is  the  development  of  the 
promise  of  redemption  made  to  our  first  parents. 

We  are  not  to  think  of  the  all-wise  God  as  trying 
one  experiment  and  abandoning  it  for  another,  but 
as  carrying  out  His  plans  by  most  gracious  provi- 
sions, suited  to  the  growing  capacity  and  prepara- 
tion of  the  human  family. 


8  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

In  His  mercy  He  promised  to  our  sinning 
parents  that  their  offspring  should  bruise  the 
serpent's  head. 

To  preserve  and  train  a  people  who  should  pre- 
serve the  memory  of  this  promise,  and  whose  high 
destiny  it  should  be  to  give  birth  to  the  Deliverer, 
He  called  Abraham  out  of  the  land  of  idolatry  and 
made  of  him  a  nation.  That  nation  became  His 
chosen  people,  and  He  secured  their  continuance 
through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  many  ages  until  the 
time  was  ripe  for  the  coming  of  Messiah. 

It  would  be  hard  to  understand  the  history  of  the 
Jewish  people  if  it  were  not  that  we  could  see, 
throughout  all  of  their  strange  and  eventful  career, 
the  gradual  development  of  the  good  purposes  of 
God. 

Among  this  people  were  preserved  the  doctrine  of 
the  unity  of  the  Deity,  as  opposed  to  the  Panthe- 
ism and  idolatry  of  surrounding  nations — a  moral 
code  infinitely  beyond  that  of  other  people — signifi- 
cant religious  rites,  which  pointed  on  to  a  sequel  in 
the  future  —  a  succession  of  authorized  religious 
teachers — and  inspired  records  containing  a  revela- 
tion of  the  attributes  and.  the  purposes  of  the  Deity. 

If  we  consider  the  older  Dispensation  to  have 
ended  abruptly  and  to  have  had  no  connection  with 
the  establishment  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  the 
Christian  Church  to  have  begun  as  something 
entirely  new,    we  will    utterly   misapprehend    the 


IN    CHURCH    HISTORY.  9 

purposes  of  God  during  the  long  ages  before  Christ, 
and  also  fail  to  see  the  unity  of  God's  plans   of 
mercy  to  our  race  throughout  all  time. 

But  we  are  to  think  of  all  of  the  ages  before 
Christ  as  the  time  of  preparation  for  His  coming, 
and  the  Church  which  He  founded  as  the  realiza- 
tion of  God's  plans  of  mercy  towards  the  fallen 
race. 

If  it  seem  strange  to  us  that  so  many  ages 
elapsed  before  the  Redeemer  appeared,  and  so  many 
epochs  of  preparation  came  and  went,  we  must 
remember  that  God  is  infinitely  wise  and  good, 
and  that  a  thousand  years  to  Him  are  but  as  a  day. 

And  thus  it  is  that  we  regard  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures  as  the  grand  prelude  to  the  sweet  har- 
mony of  redemption  so  distinctly  heard  when  the 
Son  of  God  became  incarnate  for  man's  redemp- 
tion. Just  as  an  overture  to  a  great  musical  com- 
position combines  the  many  melodies  which  are 
subsequently  developed  more  clearly,  so  will  we 
find  in  the  Old  Testament,  suggestions  of  the 
truths  which  it  was  the  mission  of  the  Christ  to 
reveal  in  His  life  and  work. 

Beginning  with  the  first  book  of  the  Bible,  we  find 
the  promise  of  salvation  from  ruin  ;  then  going  on, 
we  note  the  conflict  between  good  and  evil  in  the 
world  ;  further  on  we  have  histories  of  individuals 
who  illustrated  the  principle  of  trust  in  God,  and, 
in  some  particulars,   became  types  or  shadow  pic- 


10  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION. 

tures  of  the  coming  Saviour  ;  then  we  see  a  people 
called  out  of  the-  world  and  brought  into  peculiar 
relationship  to  God,  for  \Vhom  He  made  laws,  and 
for  whom  He  established  a  religious  system  full  of 
most  significant  religious  rites,  a  system  whose  every 
part  taught  them  to  look  forward  to  a  sequel  which 
should  be  full  of  grace  and  glory  ;  then  we  look 
still  further  on  and  trace  out  ihe  history  of  that 
people,  full  of  wonderful  events  —  now  they  are 
captives  in  strange  lands,  now  rejoicing  in  great 
prosperity  in  their  own  land,  and  now  again, 
beneath  the  iron  heel  of  foreign  rulers,  a  people 
wonderfully  preserved  to  accomplish  God's  pur- 
poses ;  and  last  of  all  we  take  up  the  books  of 
sacred  poetry,  the  psalms  and  the  prophecies,  and 
while  we  hear  the  singers  sing  many  plaintive  songs, 
and  strike  the  strings  in  the  minor  key  to  tell  of 
sorrow  and  sin,  yet  running  through  all  are  the 
joyous  notes  that  One  should  come  Who  will  save 
His  people,  and  make  this  world  brighter  and 
better. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE  CONDITION  OF   THE  WORLD   WHEN 

CHRIST  CAME. 

ROME,   MISTRESS    OF   THE   WORLD— HEROD,     RULER    OF 

THE    JEWS WAY    PREPARED     FOR     A     UNIVERSAL 

KINGDOM  FACILITIES    FOR   REACHING    ALL    PARTS 

LEARNING   SPREAD USE    OF    LATIN    AND    GREEK 

LANGUAGES  —  DISSATISFACTION   WITH   PAGANISM  

SOCIAL   CORRUPTION. 

Emperors  — Augustus  C/ESar  on  the  throne  at  the 

OPENING    OF    CHRISTIAN    ERA,  ;    TIBERIUS,    A.   D.    14* 

We  are  now  to  glance  at  the  condition  of  the 
world  as  it  was  when  the  Redeemer  came.  It  is 
declared  by  the  writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews 
that,  "in  the  fullness  (or  ripeness)  of  the  time 
God  sent  forth  His  Son."  Our  view  of  the  politi- 
cal, social  and  religious  condition  of  the  world  then, 
will  enable  us  to  understand  in  what  that  fullness, 
or  ripeness,  of  the  time  consisted. 

1900  years  ago  Rome  was  the  mistress  of  the 
world.  The  wish  of  her  imperial  master  was 
obeyed  from  Britain  to  Syria,  by  nations  separated 
from  each  other  by  many  miles  of  territory  and  by 


12  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

every  variety  of  race  and  of  religion.  Throughout 
the  civilized  world,  and  over  many  barbarous  tribes, 
Roman  rule  extended.  Roman  governors,  consuls, 
triumvirs  and  dictators  were  the  ultimate  authority 
in  every  province.  Roman  soldiers  were  stationed 
in  every  quarter.  Roman  manners  and  customs 
prevailed.  Everything  was  Roman,  so  that  from 
her  central  city  to  the  remotest  extremity  there 
flowed  out  law,   literature,   fashion  and  sentiment. 

Sixty  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  Palestine 
became  a  Roman  province.  After  the  Maccabean 
wars  internal  dissensions  prevailed  among  the  Jews, 
and  the  rival  parties  invited  Pompey,  the  Roman 
general,  to  settle  their  dispute.  His  mode  of 
settlement  consisted  in  his  making  the  whole 
country  tributary  to  Rome. 

At  the  time  of  Christ's  birth  we  find  upon  the 
throne  of  Judea  a  ruler  known  as  Herod  the 
Great.  He  was  a  tributary  prince,  raised  to 
power  by  the  favor  of  Rome,  and  scrupled  at  no 
iniquity  to  please  his  royal  masters.  His  govern- 
ment was  a  burdensome  yoke  to  the  Jews,  and 
Judea  groaned  beneath  the  bondage. 

Now  let  us  pause  a  moment   to   see   how    the 
'  political  state  of  the  world  then  indicated  the  ripe- 
ness of  the  times  for  the  coming  of  Christ. 

First,  the  supremacy  of  Rome  paved  the  way  for 
the  reception  of  the  grand  idea  of  a  universal  king- 
dom which  should  embrace  all  the  nations  of  the 


IN  CHURCH   HISTORY.  1 3 

earth.  It  paved  the  way  for  men  to  understand 
more  clearly  what  was  meant  when  the  Messiah 
established  a  kingdom  which  should  embrace  in 
one  family  all  the  families  of  the  earth,  and  which 
should  merge  in  one  supreme  sentiment  of  loyalty 
to  Him,  all  the  differing  sentiments  of  many 
peoples. 

Second,  the  progress  of  the  Roman  armies  and 
of  commerce,  and  of  their  language,  had  led  to  the 
opening  of  communications  with  far  distant  nations, 
and  over  the  highways  of  travel  thus  opened,  the 
heralds  of  the  Gospel  of  Peace  were  subsequently 
to  go.  Rome  acted  unconsciously  as  the  pioneer 
of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

When  we  come  to  look  at  the  social  condition  of 
the  world  as  it  was  then,  the  view  is  a  saddening 
one,  and  shows  how  the  world  needed  the  truths 
which  the  Christ  was  to  proclaim. 

Art  and  literature  flourished,  and  science,  as  far 
as  it  was  then  known,  both  material  and  specula- 
tive, was  encouraged,  but  there  was  but  little  in  the 
culture  of  the  day  to  make  men  better.  The  ties 
binding  families  together  were  lightly  regarded. 
The  strong  put  yokes  upon  the  necks  of  the  weak. 
Sensual  appetites  were  ministered  to  at  the  expense 
of  suffering.  The  very  amusements  of  the  people 
were  such  as  involved  extreme  cruelty  and  the 
shedding  of  blood. 


14  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

The  fullness  of  the  time  had  come,  for — 

First,  the  general  spread  of  learning  rendered  men 
able  to  examine  the  claims  of  Christianity,  and 
those  claims  were  submitted  to  a  fiercer  scrutiny 
than  has  ever  been  witnessed  since. 

Second,  the  general  use  of  the  Roman  tongue 
made  intercourse  easy  with  distant  places,  and  the 
use  of  the  Greek  language  in  literature,  supplied  a 
vehicle  for  the  accurate  conveyance  of  the  profound 
thoughts  contained  in  the  religion  of  Christ. 

Third,  the  dark  background  which  the  social 
condition  of  the  world  then  presented,  brought  out 
in  clearer  relief  the  pure  morals  of  Christianity. 
There  was  an  immediate  and  most  vivid  contrast 
between  what  the  world  was,  and  what  Christianity 
required  it  to  become,  and  the  yearnings  of  men 
for  something  better  were  to  be  gratified  in  the 
religion  of  the  Christ. 


If  we  look  at  the  religious  condition  of  mankind 
then,  we  see  evidences  that  the  time  was  ripe  for 
the  Messiah's  advent. 

With  the  exception,  of  the  Jews,  among  whom 
the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  was  preserved,  the 
nations  had  departed  to  error.  Some  were  given 
to  gross  idolatry,  others  deified  the  stars,  others 
worshipped  a  multitude  of  fictitious  deities.  The 
most  refined  preserved  a  mythology  which  con- 
tained within  it  most  debasing  beliefs.     Many  of 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  IS 

the  educated  were  utterly  skeptical,  and  the  very 
ministers  of  religion  were  incredulous  as  to  the 
truthfulness  of  their  own  system.  Even  among 
the  Jews  there  was  permitted  the  admixture  of 
heathen  errors. 

Clearer  light  from  heaven  was  needed  both  for 
Jew  and  for  Gentile.  Man  must  have  a  religion. 
If  he  do  not  have  a  true  religion  he  will  accept 
one  that  is  false.  The  time  was  ripe  for  the  clear 
revelation  of  a  true  religion,  of  one  which  would 
suit  the  needs  of  man,  and  satisfy  his  yearnings. 
When  man  needed  that  religion  most,  Christ  came. 

It  is  not  for  us  to  lament  then  that  so  many  ages 
passed  away  before  the  true  Light  dawned  upon 
men.  God  never  suffers  His  plans  and  purposes 
to  be  defeated  by  their  immature  presentation. 

He  raised  up  the  Roman  power  to  unify  the 
races  of  men  for  the  acceptance  of  a  universal  re- 
ligion. When  human  laws  were  shown  to  be 
inadequate  to  preserve  social  order,  He  caused  the 
Healer  to  come  to  purify  man's  social  condition. 
When  the  wild  plant  of  heathenism  had  so  grown 
that  all  men  could  see  that  its  fruit  was  not  for  the 
healing  of  the  nations,  He  planted  His  own  Vine, 
which  shall  never  be  uprooted.  When  men  saw 
that  by  their  wisdom  they  could  not  find  out  God, 
the  only  begotten  Son  came  to  declare  Him, 


CHAPTER  III. 
THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS,  THE  CHRIST. 

THE  GOD    INCARNATE THE    GOSPELS THE    CHURCH    A 

WITNESS  OF  HIS  LIFE  AND  WORK. 

In  speaking  of  the  earthly  life  of  the  Saviour,  we 
are  reminded  of  that  which  can  never  be  described 
by  men  : — His  existence  as  God  from  all  eternity. 

Although  there  was  a  time  when  the  second  Per- 
son of  the  Trinity  became  incarnate,  became  man, 
we  must  never  forget  that  He  was  in  the  begin- 
ning with  God,  and  He  was  God. 

It  is  hard  too  to  separate  between  the  two  natures 
which  He  possessed  after  He  took  upon  Him  our 
nature.  He  was  perfectly  God,  and  perfectly  man. 
There  was  no  mixture  or  confusion  of  these  two 
natures,  and  yet  men  looked  upon  but  one  being. 
They  walked  and  talked  with  Him,  saw  Him  grow 
weary  and  sleep,  saw  Him  subjected  to  death,  and 
yet  they  also  saw  Him  control  the  elements,  heal 
diseases,  raise  the  dead,  and  return  to  life  Himself 

In  other  words,  while  they  looked  upon  His  man- 
hood, they  also  saw  flashes  of  His  Divinity.     His 


CHURCH   HISTORY.  I? 

manhood  was  as  the  veil  which  was  thrown  over  His 
Divinity.  If  it  should  seem  to  any  of  us  to  be 
incredible  that  God  should  condescend  to  visit  this 
earth  and  take  upon  Him  our  nature,  the  reply  is  : 
It  pleased  Him  so  to  do,  and  thus  our  redemption 
has  been  accomplished. 

Four  of  His  disciples,  whom  we  now  call 
Evangelists,  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
record  what  He  did,  and  what  He  said,  during 
the  time  He  dwelt  among  men.  These  are 
very  brief  histories,  and  contain  but  the  merest 
outline,  but  they  are  sufficient  to  give  us  some 
clear  idea  of  His  character  and  the  work  He  came 
to  do. 

From  these  four  histories,  which  we  call  Gospels, 
we  may  gather  this  outline  : 

The  birth  of  Jesus  took  place  in  Bethlehem,  of 
the  Virgin  Mary,  during  the  reign  of  Augustus  Caesar. 
His  youth  was  spent  at  Nazareth.  When  He  was 
about  thirty  years  old  he  began  to  teach  and  to 
preach.  In  course  of  time  He  gathered  about  Him 
a  chosen  band  of  followers,  comprising  a  few  simple- 
hearted  men,  to  whom  He  made  known  more  fully 
His  mission,  and  whom  He  commissioned  to  make 
it  known  to  their  fellow-men.  When  He  was  less 
than  thirty-four  years  old,  He  was  put  to  death  by 
crucifixion,  but  on  the  third  day  after  that  event, 
He  arose  from  the  dead,  and  remained  on  the 
earth  forty  days,  during  which  time  He  gave  them 
i 


18  MANUAL  OF   INSTRUCTION 

instruction  concerning  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
then  ascended  into  heaven. 

This  is  the  briefest  outline  of  a  life  which  was 
filled  with  mighty  deeds,  and  blessed  works,  and 
during  which  many  gracious  words  were  spoken. 

Every  detail  of  that  life  is  important,  every  word 
spoken  is  of  value,  for  all  have  a  bearing  upon  the 
redemption  of  our  lost  race,  the  revelation  of  the 
will  and  character  of  God,  and  our  final  destiny. 

All  the  subsequent  history  of  the  Church  is  but 
the  record  of  the  working  out  of  Christ's  mission  to 
the  lost,  and  the  revelation  of  God's  character  and 
will  to  men. 

It  is  beyond  the  power  of  the  human  imagination 
to  conceive  how  very  different  the  world  would  be 
to-day,  if  that  life  had  not  been  lived  here  on  earth, 
and  if  the  light  which  has  been  poured  out  by  the 
Christ  had  been  withheld.  It  is  true  there  was  some 
light  before  the  incarnation.  The  revelation  made 
to  the  race  in  its  infancy,  the  traditions  handed 
down  and  preserved  among  the  Gentile  nations, 
the  illumination  vouchsafed  the  Jewish  nation 
through  its  prophets  and  teachers,  were  as  the  gray 
tints  before  the  day.  But  from  the  incarnation  we 
date  the  rising  of  the  Sun  upon  the  world.  Then 
the  radiance  began  to  excel  all  that  had  ever  before 
been  poured  out,  and  they  who  stood  where  the 
beams  could  fall  upon  them,  saw  the  fogs  and 
mists  of  error  vanish  and  the  shadows  flee  away. 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  1 9 

The  world  could  not  be  after  Christ's  advent, 
what  it  had  been  before. 

It  is  true  that  clouds  sometimes  arise  and  sweep 
across  the  sky,  and  hide  the  clear  brilliance  of  the 
sun  after  the  day  has  come,  but  the  sun  shines  on, 
and  bursts  forth  again  and  again  with  new  splen- 
dor. 

We  will  see,  as  we  read  further  on,  that  there 
have  been  times  when  the  truths  revealed  at  the  in- 
carnation have  been  obscured  by  human  errors,  and 
for  the  time  men  have  failed  to  see  the  beauty  and 
the  grace  of  the  life  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  but  there 
never  has  been  a  time  since  that  wondrous  birth  in 
Bethlehem  when  the  world  could  be  as  dark  and  as 
full  of  mystery  as  it  was  before. 

What  God  is — what  He  is  to  us  and  what  we  are 
to  Him — why  we  are  here,  and  what  we  may  be 
hereafter — how  we  may  be  at  peace  with  Him  now, 
and  dwell  in  His  presence  forever — these  are  the 
points  which  are  taught  us  in  the  earthly  life  of  the 
Christ. 

There  is  really  no  mystery  so  great  in  all  the  uni- 
verse as  the  life  of  Jesus,  unless  we  believe  Him  to 
be  God  incarnate.  If  he  were  not  what  He 
claimed  to  be,  and  what  His  followers  declared  Him 
to  be,  there  is  but  little  value  to  be  attached  to  all 
of  the  history  of  the  Christian  Church.  That  history 
is  then  mainly  a  succession  of  erroneous  conclu- 
sions, based  upon  mistaken  premises.      It  would  be 


20  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

scarcely  worth  the  trouble  to  study  a  history  which 
has  now  extended  through  eighteen  centuries,  if  it 
started  out  upon  a  false  basis.  We  might  gratify 
our  curiosity  as  we  would  in  reading  the  history  of 
Buddhism  or  of  Mahommedanism,  but  it  would  be 
of  little  value  to  study  a  history  of  the  Christian 
Church  if  that  Church  were  based  upon  the  preten- 
sions of  one  who  after  all  was  not  what  he  claimed 
to  be. 

It  is  particularly  important  at  the  present  day  to 
have  this  point  well  fixed  in  our  minds,  viz. ,  that 
the  Christian  Church  is  based  upon  the  belief  that 
Jesus  Christ  is  God  in  human  form,  for  it  has  be- 
come part  of  the  labor  of  many  in  our  day  to  deny 
His  true  Divinity,  and  to  explain  away  all  that  is 
supernatural  in  His  life.  Church  history  would  be 
a  very  different  story  to-day  if  such  views  were  true, 
for  it  would  begin  with  the  account  of  imposture, 
it  would  continue  with  the  strange  phases  of 
the  delusion  of  myriads  of  those  who  have  believed 
in  Him  ;  and  it  would  end — how  could  it  end  ex- 
cept in  the  story  of  shameful  defeat  and  extinction  ? 

Starting  then  with  the  truth  that  the  second  Per- 
son of  the  Blessed  Trinity  became  incarnate,  we 
look  upon  Jesus  Christ  as  obeying  the  Law  for  us, 
as  paying  the  penalty  of  our  sins  by  His  sufferings 
and  death  ;  and  as  overcoming  death  by  His  resur- 
rection. In  order  to  secure  to  men  the  perpetual 
memorv  of  His  work,  and  to  extend  to  them  its 


IN    CHURCH    HISTORY.  21 

blessings,  He  organized  a  society,  a  Church,  which 
is  spoken  of  as  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 
For  this  Church  He  instituted  two  Sacraments  : 
Baptism,  and  The  Supper  of  the  Lord.  The  first 
was  to  be  the  mode  of  admission  to  this  organiza- 
tion, the  second  to  be  the  mode  of  commemorating 
His  redemptive  work,  and  for  the  supply  of  spir- 
itual grace. 

The  mode  of  government  of  the  Church,  and 
many  of  its  other  features,  we  infer  He  commu- 
nicated to  His  apostles,  and  particularly  in  the 
period  after  His  resurrection,  from  the  fact  that 
immediately  upon  the  development  of  the  Church 
after  Pentecost,  it  possessed  certain  characteristics 
to  be  more  fully  described  hereafter. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  FEATURES  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  THE 
x\POSTOLIC  AGES. 

SIMILARITY   OF     CHARACTER    AS     EVERYWHERE   PLANT- 
ED— A  KINGDOM    ON    EARTH,   NOT  OF   THE    EARTH 

BAPTISM CONFIRMATION EPISCOPACY LORD'S 

DAY LITURGIES. 

It  is  quite  improbable  that  our  Lord,  in  commis- 
sioning the  Apostles  to  establish  His  Church  in  the 
world,  would  have  left  them  without  some  directions. 
What  were  those  directions  ?  We  do  not  find  them 
all  fully  recorded  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  How 
then  can  we  ascertain  what  they  were  ?  The 
answer  is  briefly  this  : — So  soon  as  the  Church  was 
established  in  any  place  we  find  it  possessed  certain 
prominent  features.  In  whatever  places  it  was 
established  those  features  were  the  same.  It  is  fair 
then  to  conclude  that  it  assumed  the  form  which 
it  possessed  because  of  the  directions  the  Saviour 
gave  the  Apostles. 

Some  of  these  features  we  do  find  explicitly  stated 
in  the  New  Testament.  Others  of  them  are  inci- 
dentally alluded  to.     Others  were  doubtless  com- 


CHURCH    HISTORY.  23 

municated  to  them  in  His  many  conversations 
which  are  not  recorded,  and  particularly  in  that 
period  of  forty  days  after  His  resurrection,  prior  to 
His  ascension.  We  are  told  in  Acts  i.,  that  He 
then  talked  with  them  of  the  things  pertaining  to 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  The  phrase  "  the  Kingdom 
of  God,"  is  often  understood  as  referring  simply  to 
the  Kingdom  of  God  in  heaven,  but  its  reference  is 
also  to  that  Kingdom  which  Christ  came  to  estab- 
lish on  earth,  as  when  He  taught  us  to  pray,  "  Thy 
Kingdom  come." 

When  He  sent  forth  the  seventy  disciples  they 
were  told  to  preach  the  Kingdom  of  God.  St.  Phi- 
lip, the  Deacon,  preached  the  things  concerning 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  St.  Paul's  ministry  at 
Ephesus  was  a  preaching  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

If  then  it  was  Christ's  design  to  found  a  kingdom 
in  the  world,  but  not  of  the  world,  it  must  have 
certain  features,  and  those  are  probably  what  we 
find  in  the  Church  which  at  once  sprang  up.  It 
was  to  be  visible,  a  society,  with  some  mode  of 
admission,  with  a  govcrnmenl  and  discipline,  with 
some  central  truths,  and  with  mean  for  preserving 
its  continuance  and  prosperity. 

We  are  to  look  ihen  at  the  features  of  this  soci- 
ety which  we  find  uniformly  to  have  followed  fts 
establishment  by  the  Apostles. 

First,  The  Sacrament  of  Baptism  was  the  door 
of  entrance  to  this  society.     We  see  no  exception 


24  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

to  the  rule,  whether  it  was  a  multitude  as  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost,  or  a  jailor,  in  a  prison,  by  night, 
who  desired  to  be  numbered  with  the  believers  in 
Christ.  And  as  little  children  had  been  received 
as  members  of  the  Jewish  Church  by  the  rite  of  cir- 
cumcision, so  children  were  incorporated  into  the 
Christian  body  by  baptism. 

Second,  It  became  the  custom  of  the  Apostles  to 
lay  hands  on  those  who  were  baptized,  administer- 
ing what  we  now  call  the  rite  of  confirmation.  In 
the  Epistle  to  the.  Hebrews  the  laying  on  of  hands 
is  classed  among  the  very  elements  of  the  Christian 
faith. 

Third,  There  seems  to  have  been  immediately 
developed  a  ministry  of  three  orders,  consisting  at 
first  of  Apostles,  Elders,  and  Deacons,  and  then, 
as  the  Apostles  passed  away,  of  Bishops,  Elders 
and  Deacons,  the  Bishops  succeeding,  it  is  thought, 
to  the  Apostolic  office.  Here  was  at  once  inaugu- 
rated a  succession,  transmitted  by  ordination,  a 
succession,  involving  a  distinction  of  degrees,  and 
perpetuating  a  presidency  in  its  highest  rank. 
This  three-fold  ministry  seems  to  have  been  bound 
up  in  the  very  structure  of  the  Church,  and  be- 
came one  of  its  features  wherever  the  Church  was 
planted. 

Fourth,  Another  feature  was  the  celebration  of 
the  Holy  Communion.  This  was  a  sacrament  in- 
stituted by  our  Lord  Himself,   and  was  celebrated 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  2$ 

by  the  primitive  believers  upon  every  Lord's  Day, 
and  probably  even  more  frequently. 

Fifth,  The  observance  of  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  as  the  Lord's  Day,  a  day  of  rest  and  of  wor- 
ship, became  at  once  a  feature  of  the  Christian 
society.  It  will  be  observed  that  nowhere  in  the 
Scriptures  do  we  find  any  directions  for  changing 
from  the  seventh  day  to  the  first  day  of  the  week. 
And  yet  it  became  essentially  a  part  of  the  usage  of 
the  early  Church  to  celebrate  the  Lord's  victory  over 
death  on  that  day,  and  to  make  that  day  as  religious 
a  day  as  had  been  the  custom  with  reference  to  the 
Jewish  Sabbath.  Who  authorized  the  change?  and 
when  ?  There  is  no  satisfactory  answer,  unless  we 
suppose  that  our  Lord  Himself  sanctioned  it,  in 
some  directions  not  recorded  in  the  New  Testament. 

Sixth,  The  use  of  Liturgies,  or  precomposed 
forms  of  worship,  became  at  once  common,  if  not 
universal,  in  the  Christian  Church. 

We  have  traces  of  old  Liturgical  forms  in  quota- 
tions made  in  the  Epistles  themselves.  See  Eph. 
v.  14;  i  Tim.  iii.  16.  And  the  history  of  the  primi- 
tive days  shows  a  Liturgical  worship  everywhere 
prevalent.  It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that 
Liturgical  worship  was  not  then  a  new  thing,  newly 
introduced,  for  the  Jewish  modes  of  worship  were 
of  that  character. 

Here  then  we  perceive  six  features  which  were 
found  wherever  the  Church  was  established. 


26  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION. 

The  Sacraments  of  Baptism  and  Holy  Commu- 
nion— A  Ministry  of  Three  Orders — The  Rite  of 
Confirmation — The  Observance  of  the  Lord's  Day — 
The  use  of  Liturgical  forms  in  public  worship. 

It  is  not  said  that  these  are  all  the  points  which 
could  be  noted  as  features  of  the  Church  in  apos- 
tolic days,  but  they  are  the  most  prominent,  and 
serve  to  identify  it,  as  it  has  continued  to  exist 
down  through  the  ages  since  then. 

It  is  not  said,  either,  that  there  is  any  positive 
command  on  the  part  of  our  Lord,  that  all  of  these 
features  are  necessary  to  the  existence  of  .the 
Church,  but-Js  we  find  them  so  early  and  so  uni- 
versally appearing,  and  as  for  age  after  age  they 
continued  to  be  part  of  it,  wherever  planted,  we 
have  reason  for  thinking  that  they  were  agreeable 
to  Bis  will. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  CHURCH  IN  APOSTOLIC  DAYS. 

PENTECOST  —  JERUSALEM  DIVISION     OF     APOSTOLIC 

LABORS. 

Great  Events. 

A.D.  33.        MARTYRDOM    OF    ST.     STEPHEN. 
4-O.       CONVERSION    OF    ST.     PAUL. 
44.       MARTYRDOM    OF    ST.     JAMES. 
50.       APOSTOLIC    COUNCIL    AT   JERUSALEM. 
66-7O.       JERUSALEM  BESIEGED    AND    DESTROYED. 

On  the  morning  of  the  day  of  Pentecost,  after 
Christ's  ascension,  the  number  of  His  disciples  in 
Jerusalem  included  but  one  hundred  and  twenty. 
But  that  Pentecostal  day  witnessed  the  outpouring 
of  the  Spirit,  according  to  His  promise,  and  the 
rapid  increase  in  the  number  of  believers.  We 
date,  therefore,  the  formal  establishment  of  the 
Church  from  that  day.  Jerusalem  was  honored  in 
being  its  birth-place,  and  for  many  years  after  was 
the  seat  of  its  chief  Bishopric.  The  work  begun 
there  spread  rapidly  to  other  places.  The  strangers 
from  different  parts  who  had  become  converts  to 
Christianity  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,   when  they 


28  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

returned  to  their  homes  carried  with  them  the  out- 
line of  the  Christian  faith,  and  thus  paved  the 
way  for  the  planting  of  the  Church  in  subsequent 
days. 

The  growth  of  the  Church  in  Jerusalem  became 
so  marked  that  the  most  violent  means  were  re^ 
sorted  to  by  the  Jewish  priests  and  rulers  to  check 
it,  but  the  persecution  of  its  members  only  led  to 
its  rapid  extension  to  other  parts,  for  when  com- 
pelled to  leave  Jerusalem  they  went  to  other 
districts  of  Judea,  and  even  beyond,  preaching  the 
Gospel.  No  power  could  now  check  the  growing 
society,  for  under  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  men  were  filled  with  the  most  fervent  zeal 
for  the  proclamation  of  the  tidings  of  salvation, 
and  felt  called  upon  to  devote  their  energies,  their 
talents  and  their  lives,  to  making  that  salvation 
known  both  to  their  brethren  and  to  those  of  other 
nations. 

After  a  time  it  pleased  God  to  convert  Saul  of 
Tarsus  and  to  commission  him  as  an  apostle  to  the 
Gentiles,  and  thus  still  greater  impetus  was  given  to 
the  Church's  growth. 

The  main  sources  of  information  respecting  the 
progress  of  Christianity  in  the  age  of  the  apostles  is 
the  account  given  by  St.  Luke,  and  known  as  the 
Book  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles. 

Other  sources  of  information  are  the  Epistles  of 
the  New  Testament,  the  incidental  allusions  con- 


IN    CHURCH    HISTORY.  29 

tained    in   contemporaneous    histories,     and     the 
traditions  which  have  been  preserved  to  us. 

No  complete  history  lias  ever  been  prepared. 
Enough,  however,  has  been  given  to  show  the 
spirit  of  the  Church,  its  principles,  and  its  mar- 
vellous extension  in  the  face  of  all  obstacles. 

While  many  were  commissioned,  as  time  went 
on,  to  assist  in  the  work  of  founding  the  Church, 
the  apostles  seemed  to  have  been  ever  the  most 
earnest  and  most  successful  laborers.  Asia,  Europe 
and  Africa,  the  three  continents  then  known, 
were  travelled  by  them,  and  myriads  were  converted 
to  the  faith. 

DIVISION    OF    APOSTOLIC    LABORS. 

No  complete  record  has  been  left  us  of  the 
separate  work  done  by  each  of  the  apostles  in 
sowing  the  seeds  of  divine  truth  and  in  organizing 
the  society  of  believers  in  different  places. 

The  Book  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  gives  us 
an  account  of  their  labors  and  the  labors  of  the 
disciples  in  a  general  way  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem  ; 
speaks  of  their  dispersion  by  reason  of  persecution  ; 
and  then  is  concerned  mainly  with  the  history  of  St. 
Paul. 

The  labors  of  St.  fames,  the  elder,  the  brother  of 
St.  John,  were  speedily  brought  to  an  end,  for 
during  the  persecution  of  the  Christians  in  Jerusa- 


30  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

lem,    under   King    Herod    Agrippa,    a.d.    44,   he 
was  beheaded. 

The  other  apostle  St.  James,  know  as  "St. 
fames,  the  Less,"  and  "St.  James,  the  Just/' con- 
tinued for  a  number  of  years  in  Jerusalem  as  the 
head  or  Bishop  of  the  Church  there.  He  seems 
to  have  acted  as  president  in  the  first  Church 
Council,  the  account  of  which  is  given  in  Acts  xv. 
He  was  the  author  of  an  Epistle  to  the  converted 
Jews  who  were  scattered  abroad.  (See  Epistle  of 
St.  James. )  He  was  murdered  in  Jerusalem  by  a 
mob,  just  before  the  destruction  of  that  city. 

St.  Peter  is  repeatedly  mentioned  in  the  earlier 
part  of  the  Book  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  but 
no  mention  is  made  of  him  in  that  Book  after  the 
Council  at  Jerusalem,  which  he  attended. 

At  first  he  exercised  a  sort  of  headship  over  the 
body  of  Christians  during  the  early  years  of  its 
history  in  Jerusalem,  but  upon  his  liberation  from 
prison,  he  left  the  city,  and  the  ruling  power  de- 
volved upon  James,  the  Just. 

St.  Paul  refers  to  him  as  being  upon  missionary 
tours,  in  two  of  his  Epistles,  Gal.  ii. ;  I  Cor.  ix. 
St.  Peter  wrote  two  epistles  to  the  scattered  con- 
verts in  Asia  Minor.  (See  the  Epistles  of  St. 
Peter.)  A  great  deal  of  controversy  has  arisen 
as  to  whether  it  was  he  who  planted  the  Church  in 
Rome.  The  Roman  Church  contends  strongly  that 
it  was  he,  and  has  for  that  reason,  and  from  a  mis- 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  31 

understanding  of  our  Lord's  words  to  him,   eleva 
ted  him  to  a  position  of  unapproachable  suprem- 
acy among  the  Apostles. 

It  is  a  matter  of  some  doubt,  however,  whether 
St.  Peter  was  ever  in  Rome,  and  it  is  highly  probable 
that  the  first  Christian  Church  established  in  that 
city  was  made  up  of  Greeks,  and  not  of  Latins.  If 
he  really  did  visit  Rome,  his  stay  there  could  have 
been  but  of  short  duration.  Tradition  tells  us  that 
he  was  crucified  there,  head  downwards,  after  the 
great  conflagration  of  Rome,  unde  r  Nero,  the  Ro- 
mans having  been  persuaded,  falsely  so,  of  course, 
that  the  Christians  had  fired  their  city. 

Sf.  John,    probably  lived  longest  of  any  of  the 
Apostles.      His  work  seems  to  have  been  mainly  in 
Asia  Minor,   and  particularly  at  Ephesus.     When 
the  persecution  under  the  Roman  emperor  broke 
out,  he  was  banished  to  Patmos,   where  he  stayed  a 
year  or  two.     It  was  there  that  the  Book  of  the  Re- 
velation was  written.      He  is  the  author  of  three 
Epistles,  which  have  been  preserved  to  us,  and  one 
of  the  four  Gospels.       As  Bishop  of  Ephesus  he 
continued    until   very   far     advanced    in   years   to 
exercise  the  duties  of  hrs  office,  and  it  is  said  of  him 
that  when  too  feeble  to  deliver  long  discourses,  he 
would  be  carried  to  the  place  of  worship,  and  would 
repeat   the   words  :    "  Little    children,     love    one 
another."     Love,  it  is  well  said,  was   the  centre  of 
his  theology  and  the  sum  of  his  life. 


32  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

With  reference  to  the  other  original  Apostles, 
there  is  really  but  little  history.  Traditions  have 
been  preserved,  but  they  are  obscure.  It  is  prob- 
able that  St.  Andrea)  labored  in  the  territory  of 
ancient  Greece,  along  the  Mediterranean  and  north- 
ward. He  founded  the  church  at  Byzantium,  now 
Constantinople,  then  in  France,  Macedonia,  and 
other  places,  suffering  martyrdom  finally  at  Petrse 
in  Achaia. 

*S7.  Jude,  (Lebbseus  Thaddeus)  devoted  his 
labors  to  Judea,  Arabia,  Mesopotamia  and  Syria. 
He  has  left  us  one  Epistle.      (See  Ep.   St.   Jude. ) 

St.  Thomas,  travelled  through  Parthia,  Persia  and 
India,  and  told  of  the  Christ.  St.  Matthew,  is  said 
to  have  performed  his  labors  in  Parthia,  and  the 
countries  along  the  borders  of  India.  He  is  the 
author  of  the  first  Gospel,  which  he  wrote  mainly 
for  his  brethren,  the  Jews,  to  convince  them  that 
Jesus  Christ  was  the  Messiah  promised  in  the  Old 
Testament.  St.  Bartholomew,  (Nathaniel,  "the 
Israelite,  indeed,")  labored  in  Arabia,  and  on  the 
borders  of  Judea.  St.  Philip,  in  Upper  Asia,  St. 
Simon,  in  Africa. 

St.  Matthias,  the  successor  to  the  place  of  Judas 
Iscariot,  (See  Acts  i. )  preached  in  Cappadocia,  and 
suffered  martyrdom.  St.  Paul's  life  and  labors  are 
more  fully  detailed  for  us  than  those  of  any  other 
called  to  be  an  Apostle.  From  the  Book  of  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  from  St.   Paul's  Epistles, 


IN  CHURCH    HISTORY.  33 

we  can  gather  a  tolerably  full  history  of  the  Apostle 
to  the  Gentiles.  It  is  a  marvellous  history,  full 
of  interesting  details  and  surprising  incidents,  and 
makes  a  record  of  heroism  such  as  has  never  been 
equalled  by  man.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  sum 
it  up  in  a  few  lines.  It  must  be  read  and  studied 
in  the  words  of  matchless  simplicity  and  earnestness, 
in  which  St.  Luke  wrote  it ;  and  must  be  gathered 
out  of  the  incidental  allusions  which  the  Apostle 
makes  in  his  Epistles. 

While  on  his  way  to  Damascus,  in  bitter  hatred 
of  the  Christians,  the  Lord  met  him,  and  called 
him  from  his  work  as  a  persecutor  to  be  thence- 
forth a  helper  in  the  Gospel.  After  his  baptism  he 
spent  three  years  in  Arabia  in  solitude,  doubtless 
becoming  fitted  there  for  his  sacred  work.  His 
ministry  began  in  Damascus,  and  then  extended  to 
Jerusalem,  and  finally  to  Antioch. 

At  this  place  he  was  commissioned  to  his  great 
work  as  an  apostle  to  the  Gentiles.  From  that  time 
on  until  some  twenty  years  after,  when  he  was  carried 
as  a  prisoner  to  Rome,  he  was  almost  ceaselessly  in 
motion,  now  in  one  place,  now  in  another.  His 
missionary  journeys  may  be  grouped  under  three 
great  divisions.  He  went  out  and  found  a  pagan 
world  opposed  to  him,  to  the  message  he  bore,  a 
world  superstitious  and  corrupt.  It  was  his  joy  to 
see,  ere  he  died,  in  every  place  where  he  had 
told  of  Christ,  bodies  of  believers  who  rejoiced  in 


34  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION. 

the  hope  of  salvation  which  he  had  carried  to  them. 
To  the  people  of  corrupt  cities,  to  idolators,  and  to 
the  most  educated  of  men,  to  kings  and  rulers,  to 
a  jailor  in  a  prison,  he  delivered  his  one  message, 
redemption   through   the   Christ.       Sometimes  he 
labored  with  his  own  hands  at   the  trade  of  tent- 
making,  while  he  stayed  in  a  place  to   found  the 
Church,  sometimes  in  weariness  and  sorrow  he  was 
dependent  upon   the   charity   of   the   poor.     But 
under  all  circumstances  he  realized  that  his  mission 
was  to  proclaim  Christ,  and  to  his  fidelity  the  world 
owes  much  of  its  joy  to-day. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THOSE  WHO  HELPED  THE  APOSTLES. 

THE      FIRST     DEACONS  PRESBYTERS  DISCIPLES  — 

DEACONESSES — GROWTH    IN     THE    FIRST    CENTURY. 

Although  it  was  made  the  especial  work  of  the 
Apostles  to  establish  the  Church,  and  although  they 
took  the  lead  in  carrying  forward  the  good  work, 
we  are  not  to  think  of  them  as  laboring  on  alone 
without  help  and  sympathy.  Very  early  after  that 
first  Pentecost  we  learn  of  the  ordination  of  the  first 
Deacons,  whose  immediate  work  was  the  care  of 
the  poor,  but  whose  zeal  led  to  their  preaching  the 
good  news  of  salvation.  The  first  martyr  was  a 
Deacon.  The  account  of  St.  Stephen's  death,  Acts 
vii.  St.  Philip  the  Deacon  baptized  the  treasurer  of 
Ethiopia,  Acts  viii .  Doubtless  the  number  of  these 
Deacons  was  greatly  multiplied,  and  many  were 
promoted  to  the  second  rank,  that  of  the  Elders,  or 
Presbyters,  and  here  and  there,  in  different  places, 
some  of  the  Presbyters  were  made  Bishops,  as  was 
the  case  with  St.  Timothy.  (See  Epistle  to  him.) 
As  soon  as  the  Church  was  planted  in  a  place,  the 


36        .       MANUAL  OF  INSTRUCTION 

first  effort  seemed  to  be  to  secure  for  it  a  supply  of 
ordained  teachers,  and  in  every  large  centre,  prob- 
ably in  every  city,  some  one  was  elevated  to  the 
office  of  overseer,  angel  or  Bishop. 

During  the  life  time  of  the  Apostles  they 
themselves  exercised  paramount  authority ;  but 
as  they  passed  away,  the  Bishops  whom  they 
had  appointed  seemed  to  come  forward  in  all 
things  as  their  successors,  except  perhaps  in 
having  the  miraculous  gifts  which  our  Lord  be- 
stowed upon  the  Apostles.  But  we  cannot  tell 
when  these  gifts  ceased.  They  may  have  been 
withdrawn  gradually,  as  the  special  need  of  their 
exercise  ceased  with  the  altered  circumstances   of 

the  Church. 

Not  alone  by  the  ordained   clergy,   the  Bishops, 
Elders  and    Deacons,   were  the  Apostles  helped. 
In  those  days  of  loving  trust,  and  fiery  earnestness, 
every  disciple  was  a  helper  in  spreading  the  Gospel. 
Many  are  mentioned  by  name  in   the  Acts  and 
Epistles,  among  whom  are  holy  women  who  are 
declared  to  have  been   helpful   in  the  Lord,    and 
there   is   an  allusion  to  an  Order  of  Deaconesses, 
made  up  of  those  who  consecrated  their  time  and 
talents  to  the  Lord's  cause. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  the  upbuilding  of  the 
Church,  with  all  of  the  newness  of  their  labors, 
with  all  of  the  opposition  made  to  them,  the 
Apostles  and  their  helpers  evidently  followed  a  de- 


IN  CHURCH    HISTORY.  37 

finite  plan,  and  the  product  of  their  toils  was  in  all 
essential  features  alike  in  all  places. 

Wherever  they  went  they  told  of  the  Christ,  what 
He  said  and  what  He  did,  and  how  men  may  be 
saved  through  Him  ;  and  then  when  any  believed 
their  message  they  admitted  them  as  members  of 
the  Christian  society,  and  instructed  them  as  to 
what  were  their  new  duties  and  high  privileges. 

Picture  to  yourself  the  earnest  work,  and  self- 
denying  labors  of  the  primitive  disciples.  Here 
we  will  say  is  a  town  where  up  to  that  moment  no 
voice  has  ever  uttered  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 
It  is  an  idolatrous  place.  In  the  temple  is  the 
statue  of  a  god  or  goddess,  and  the  worship  of  the 
people  is  filled  with  lascivious  rites  and  most  de- 
basing ceremonies.  And  now  there  come  into 
this  place  two  or  three  travel-stained  men,  recog- 
nized perhaps  as  Jews  by  their  dress  and  speech. 
Who  are  they  ?  Who  in  all  that  town  cares  who 
they  are  ?  They  appear  to  be  a  few  dusty  travellers. 
Why  give  them  a  second  thought  ?  But  the 
travellers  inquire  for  the  synagogue  of  the  Jewish 
colony  established  there,  and  at  the  hour  of  prayer 
go  into  that  synagogue,  and  begin  to  teach  their 
brethren,  the  Jews,  that  Messiah  has  come  ;  that 
Jesus  Christ  fulfils  the  ancient  prophecies,  and  by 
mighty  deeds  and  gracious  words  has  shown  that 
He  is  the  Blessed  One. 

Their   message   is   listened    to    and    discussed. 


38  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

Some  believe  it,  others  scoff  at  it.  But  a  few 
hearts  have  been  inclined  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
loving  trust  in  God's  Son,  and  these  few  are  the 
nucleus  of  the  Church  in  that  town. 

And  now  the  work  enlarges  ;  the  travellers  de- 
liver their  message  to  the  pagan  population  of  the 
place ;  they  tell  them  that  God  would  now  make 
Himself  known  to  all  men,  and  has  sent  His  Son 
to  reveal  the  true  God,  that  men  might  forsake 
their  idols  and  serve  Him  truly.  There  is  com- 
motion in  the  place.  The  crowd  scoff  at  their 
preaching  of  the  Christ,  and  perhaps  some  rush 
upon  them  to  do  them  violence  ;  but  God  has 
some  open  hearts  there  too,  and  a  few  believe. 
These  Gentile  believers  are  engrafted  into  the 
body  of  the  Church,  and  thus  among  Jews  and 
Gentiles  the  work  has  begun  in  that  pagan  town. 
Begun,  yes  ;  to  continue  until  scores  and  hundreds 
of  souls  rejoice  in  the  grace  of  the   Son  of  God  ! 

Thus  it  was  that  the  work  went  on.  "God 
gave  the  word,  and  great  was  the  company  of  the 
preachers."  Each  newly  organized  congregation 
became  a  centre  from  which  some  went  with  burn- 
ing lips  to  tell  the  story  to  others. 

With  all  of  the  world  against  them,  it  seemed 
almost  a  hopeless  task  to  convert  the  world  to  the 
faith  of  Christ ;  but  God  was  with  them,  and  in 
His  strength  they  labored.  At  the  end  of  thirty 
years  after  the  death  of  the  Saviour,  His  truth  had 


IN    CHURCH    HISTORY.  39 

been  proclaimed  from  Jerusalem  eastward  to  the 
Indies  and  the  Euphrates,  and  westward  to  the 
Thames.  Tacitus,  the  Roman  historian,  admits 
that  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  68  "vast  multitudes  " 
of  Christians  were  discovered  in  all  parts  of  the 
Roman  empire,  and  the  Roman  empire  then  in- 
cluded most  portions  of  the  then  inhabited  globe. 
Thus,  ere  the  first  century  closed,  the  Son  of  Man 
had  lived  His  wonderful  life,  and  died  the  death 
which  atoned  for  the  sins  of  the  world  ;  the  Holy 
Ghost  had  been  poured  out  upon  the  infant  Church; 
Jerusalem  had  been  cast  down  into  the  dust ;  and 
in  every  direction  the  heralds  of  the  cross  had  gone, 
proclaiming  the  tidings  of  salvation;  twelve  Roman 
emperors  had  passed  away,  among  them  the  cruel 
Nero,  and  Domitian,  under  whom  two  bitter  perse- 
cutions of  the  Christians  had  been  carried  on  ;  new 
names  had  appeared  upon  the  world's  history,  to  be 
forever  more  famous  than  emperors  and  kings  ; 
new  truths  had  been  announced,  which  were  des- 
tined to  revolutionize  all  existing  institutions,  and 
to  usher  in  better,  brighter  times  for  men ;  and 
there  had  been  developed  that  society  against 
wh;s:h  the  gates  of  hell  should  never  prevail. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE   DAYS  OF   PERSECUTION. 

NATURE    OF    THE    PERSECUTIONS — NERO DOMITIAN— 

MARTYRDOM RESULTS. 

Great  Events. 

A.   D.   64.     1ST  GENERAL  PERSECUTION,  UNDER  NERO. 
l68.    MARTYRDOM  Of  POLYCARP. 

It  is  hard  for  us  who  are  living  in  a  lime  when 
the  Church  is  steadily  making  peaceful  progress, 
to  realize  that  for  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  with  the  exception  of  brief  intervals  of  re- 
pose, her  progress  was  met  by  the  most  bitter 
opposition,  and  that  thousands  and  thousands  of 
men,  women  and  children  were  put  to  death  for  no 
other  offence  than  that  of  being  followers  of  Jesus 
Christ  And  yet  so  it  was.  Until  the  beginning 
of  the  fourth  century  Christianity  met  but  little  favor 
from  the  rulers  of  the  world,  and  its  adherents 
were  not  safe  from  savage  assaults,  involving  the  loss 
of  property,  and  the  loss  of  life  itself.  Some  of 
the  persecutions  were  legalized,  carried  out  under 
direct  edicts  of  the  Roman  emperors,  but  others 
were  irregular,  mob-like  attacks  of  individuals  and 


CHURCH    HISTORY.  41 

communities,  in  which  it  was  considered  merito- 
rious to  exterminate  those  who  deserted  the  shrines 
of  the  gods  and  called  themselves  by  the  hated 
name  of  Christians, 

Much  of  the  early  history  of  the  Church  may  be 
said  to  be  written  in  blood — the  blood  of  those  who 
proved  their  fidelity  to  the  Lord  by  suffering  for 
His  sake. 

It  was  not  the  Roman  power,  however,  that 
inaugurated  the  persecutions.  The  Jews  began 
the  shameful  work.  We  learn  that  immediately 
after  the  great  Pentecostal  day,  when  the  Church 
was  first  established,  the  persecutions  in  the  city  of 
Jerusalem  became  so  severe  that  many  of  the 
Christians  were  compelled  to  flee  from  the  place. 
(Acts. )  St.  Paul  himself  was  once  a  leader  of  the 
persecutors,  and  it  was  while  on  his  way  to  secure 
the  arrest  of  some  who  had  fled  as  far  as  Damascus, 
that  he  was  convinced  of  the  error  of  his  career, 
and  converted  to  the  faith  which  he  had  been 
trying*  to  destroy.      (See  Acts  viii. ) 

In  subsequent  chapters  of  the  same  book  we 
learn  that  it  was  not  uncommonly  the  case,  even 
in  distant  places,  where  the  Jews  had  colonized, 
for  them  to  excite  an  uproar  against  the  Christians, 
and  to  subject  them  to  violence. 

The  persecutions  by  the  Romans  were  of  two 
kinds  ;  there  was  one  that  was  steady  and  persistent, 
involving    inconvenience,    degradation,    loss,    and 


42  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

hardship  to  the  followers  of  Christ ;  and  then  there 
■was  a  seeond  kind,  when,  with  the  aid  of  the  civil 
power,  and  often  without  it,  with  the  fury  of  the 
mob,  the  believers  were  tortured,  driven  from  theii 
homes,  and  exposed  to  most  cruel  deaths. 

The  anger  of  the  Jews  against  their  brethren 
who  became  Christians  arose  from  their  consider- 
ing them  as  having  deserted  the  religion  of  their 
forefathers,  and  as  having  proclaimed  one  as  the 
Son  of  God,  the  Messiah,  whom  many  of  the 
Jews  regarded  as  an  impostor. 

Roman  hatred  arose  from  various  causes.  They 
too  considered  the  Christians  as  being  neglectful 
of  the  old  religions,  and  stigmatized  them  as  im- 
pious, because  they  refused  to  worship  their  gods. 
But  there  were  many  other  elements  in  their 
hatred,  some  of  them  being  of  a  political  character 
and  some-  social.  So  long  as  they  considered 
Christianity  simply  as  one  more  ■  new  sect,  they 
were  willing  to  tolerate  it,  for  the  ancient  Romans 
believed  there  might  be  as  many  religions  as  there 
were  tribes  of  men  ;  but  when  it  was  perceived 
that  Christianity  aimed  at  a  supremacy  over  all 
other  kinds  of  belief,  and  that  its  followers  con- 
sidered its  mission  was  to  supersede  existing  be- 
liefs, they  regarded  its  progress  as  dangerous  to  the 
welfare  of  the  state,  which  then  was  bound  up  with 
paganism.  Then,  too,  the  code  of  morals  in- 
troduced by  the  Church  brought  its  members  into 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  43 

direct  conflict  with  the  whole  social  and  individual 
life  of  the  times.  Cruelty,  impurity,  falsehood, 
and  violence,  but  imperfectly  describe  the  state  of 
society  as  it  then  was.  By  the  very  nature  of  the 
better  life  the  Christian  sought  to  lead,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  turn  away  from  much  that  was  so  gene- 
rally tolerated,  and  to  condemn  the  iniquity  of  the 
times.  It  was  some  little  while  after  the  planting 
of  the  Church  before  the  first  formal  edicts  against 
the  Christians  were  published.  Opposition  to  the 
disciples  was  made  from  the  beginning,  but  it  re- 
mained for  the  cruel  Nero,  in  A.  D.  64,  to  let  loose 
the  power  of  the  state  and  the  fury  of  the  people 
upon  them. 

A  dreadful  fire  having  consumed  a  great  part  of 
the  city  of  Rome,  Nero,  who  it  is  believed  was 
himself  the  incendiary,  cast  the  blame  upon  the 
Christians,  accusing  them  of  the  crime.  The 
Emperor's  permission  was  enough  to  inaugurate 
the  most  awful  sufferings,  but  he  himself  became  a 
leader  in  inflicting  them.  The  details  are  almost 
too  horrid  to  recount.  Crucifixion,  casting  to 
dogs  and  wild  beasts,  covering  with  pitch  and  then 
burning  them,  became  the  means  of  torture  and 
death  to  the  unresisting  disciples.  Such  multi- 
tudes were  destroyed  at  this  time  that  the  taste  for 
blood  seemed  utterly  satiated,  and  for  a  time,  in 
very  weariness,  the  persecutors  ceased.  In  a.  d. 
93.  under  Domitian,  the  second  general  persecution 


44  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

took  place.  His  enmity  was  not  altogether  on  ac- 
count of  their  religion,  but  he  suspected  them  of 
disloyalty  to  him  as  king.  They  had  refused 
to  worship  him  as  a  god,  and  he  supposed  they 
would  oppose  him  as  king. 

Again  the  bloody  scenes  were  repeated.  The 
cross,  the  sword,  the  wild  beast,  the  bath  of  boiling 
oil,  the  shower  of  stones,  and  clubs  in  the  public 
street  —  these  were  the  means  employed  to  put 
them  out  of  the  way. 

Many,  of  course,  fled  to  places  of  safety,  and 
some  renounced  their  religion  altogether. 

Under  the  laws  which  were  passed,  any  Christian 
had  the  opportunity  given  him  to  renounce  the 
faith,  and  to  offer  sacrifice  upon  the  heathen  altars  ; 
but  while  some  did  thus  escape  death  and  suffering 
by  denying  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  great  majority  re- 
mained faithful  to  Him,  preferring  death  to  ignomi- 
nious life.  Indeed,  at  one  time,  many  courted  the 
honors  of  martyrdom,  and  exposed  themselves 
in  every  way  to  its  risks.  The  opinion  was  freely 
expressed  by  some  of  their  leaders  that  death  must 
ever  be  regarded  as  a  blessed  boon,  since  it  brought 
them  home  to  Christ,  and  martyrdom  was  to  be 
considered  both  as  an  evidence  of  their  love  to  Him 
and  of  His  crowning  goodness  to  them. 

Christian  writers,  in  after  ages,  were  wont  to 
reckon  the  great  persecutions,  as  ten  in  number, 
taking  the  ten   plagues   of  Egypt  as   the  types  of 


IN  CHURCH    HISTORY.  45 

the  ten  emperors  under  whom  the  sufferings  came. 

Among  the  many  forms  of  torture  and  death  with 
which  the  Christians  were  visited,  none  seem  to 
us  more  remarkable  than  the  exposure  in  the 
arena  to  wild  beasts  and  the  attacks  of  the  gladi- 
ators, or  sword  players. 

A  Roman  holiday,  at  one  time,  included  the 
spectacle  of  a  band  of  Christians  thrown  into  the 
ring  to  be  dispatched  either  by  the  swords  of 
gladiators,  or  the  teeth  of  lions.  On  a  given  day 
the  Roman  multitude  would  assemble  to  witness 
with  the  liveliest  satisfaction  the  fearful  sight  of 
poor  helpless  men,  women  and  children  contend- 
ing to  the  death  with  savage  beasts,  and  no  less 
savage  murderers  hired  to  do  the  bloody  work. 

Some  of  the  greatest  illustrations  of  courage  and 
faith  are  those  presented  by  the  martyrs.  They  met 
death  without  a  fear,  and  even  tender  children 
smiled  at  its  approach. 

In  after  years  the  reverence  of  the  Christians  for 
those  of  their  number  who  had  suffered  martyrdom 
became  so  great,  that  it  was  the  custom  to  commem- 
orate their  deaths  by  religious  rites,  and  to  recite 
their  deeds  at  the  graves  where  their  mangled 
remains  had  been  buried. 

The  persecutions  continued  with  more  or  less 
severity  until  the  accession  of  Constantine,  when  a 
new  order  of  things  prevailed — the  once  hated  reli- 
gion became  the  religion  of  the  Empire. 


46  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION. 

The  good  results  of  the  persecutions  were  nume- 
rous.    Among  them  may  be  named,  first,  the  con- 
viction which  grew  in  the  world  that  the  religion 
which  could  make  men    so   courageous,    and   for 
which  they  were  willing  to  suffer  the  loss  of  all 
things,  must  be  from  God.    Second,  attention  was 
thus  publicly  called  to  the  principles  of  the  Christian 
faith,  and  the  confession  of  trust  in  Christ  which  the 
martyrs  made,  became  familiar  to  all  classes.     Third, 
the  Church  was  maintained  in  comparative  purity. 
Worldly  principles  were  kept  out,  and  the  simpli- 
citv  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  was  preserved.      If 
we  are  to  look  at  the  Church  in  its  purest  stages  we 
will  find  such  to  be  the  days  when  it  was  in  sorrow 
by  reason    of  persecution.     There   was   but   little 
inducement  to  join  one's  self  to  its  company,  except 
a  man  were  convinced  that  in  it  he  could  learn  the 
truth,  and  save  his  soul.     And  yet  during  all  these 
years  of  fiery  trial,  the  number  of  believers  steadily 
increased.      Missionary  zeal  continued,  and  wher- 
ever the  Christians  made  their  home  they  became 
noted  for  their  charity  and  good  deeds  to  their  pa- 
gan neighbors.     The  earnest  preaching  of  the  truth, 
and  the  holy  lives  of  those  who  held  it,  were  the 
agencies  for  commending  it  to  the  consciences  of 
men,   so  that  some  would  come  out  and  receive 
Christian  baptism,  although  they  knew  that  before 
the  night  of  the  same  day  they  might  be  put  to 
death  for  confessing  Christ. 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  47 

If  you  ask  whether  they  built  churches  and  had 
public  services  during  these  early  ages,  the  answer 
is  that  there  must  have  been  but  few  edifices  built 
in  which  to  conduct  Christian  worship,  except  in 
the  lull  of  persecutions,  and  in  places  distant  from 
the  great  centres.  They  used  the  upper  rooms  of 
private  houses,  the  quiet  groves  by  the  river  sides, 
and  in  the  city  of  Rome  they  met  in  the  excavations 
beneath  that  city,  called  the  Catacombs.  At  the 
times  of  their  fiercest  trials  they  found  it  necessary  to 
conceal  from  all  except  their  own  number  where 
they  met ;  and  hence  their  assemblies  were  in  secret 
places.  As  the  roll  of  the  martyrs  began  to  in- 
crease, the  tombs  of  the  faithful  dead  became  favor- 
ite places  for  celebrating  Christian  rites. 

It  must  not  be  thought  that  during  all  of  these 
250  years  there  was  one  continuous,  vigorous,  le- 
galized system  of  persecution.  On  the  contrary 
there  were  often  periods  of  repose,  for  longer  or 
shorter  intervals,  when  the  work  of  propagating  the 
faith  was  earnestly  pressed  by  the  believers. 

But  the  days  of  blood  were  very  many,  and  the 
ingenuity  of  their  adversaries  was  exercised  to  the 
utmost  to  exterminate  all  who  bore  the  Christian 
name  from  the  earth.  There  was  power  enough, 
and  there  was  malice  enough  to  have  annihilated 
the  Church,  had  it  been  of  man,  but  it  was  of  God, 
and  they  could  not  overthrow  it. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  FATHERS  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

IGNATIUS — JUSTIN      MARTYR POLYCARP — IRENiEUS— 

TERTULLIAN — ORIGIN CYPRIAN, 


Dak  : 

A.   D. 

115. 

IGNATIUS. 

166. 

JUSTIN    MARTYR 

168. 

POLYCARP. 

178. 

IREN^EUS. 

201. 

TERTULLIAN. 

254. 

ORIGEN. 

258. 

CYPRIAN. 

It  has  grown  to  be  the  custom  to  speak  of  many 
who  became  prominent  by  their  labors  in  the 
primitive  ages  of  Christianity,  as  "The  Fathers." 
In  some  cases  their  history  has  been  preserved  to 
us ;  in  others  we  have  but  the  barest  iecord  of  their 
names  and  the  outline  of  what  they  did.  The 
writings  of  some  have  come  down  to  us,  and  con- 
tain rich  stores  of  learning,  illustrating  the 
manners  and  explaining  the  views  of  the  early 
Church. 


CHURCH    HISTORY.  49 

Ignatius. — Among  the  earliest  of  the  Fathers  is 
Ignatius.  He  was  the  disciple  and  friend  of  St. 
John,  and  probably  knew  the  other  apostles.  He 
is  one  connecting  link  between  the  apostles  and 
the  Church  of  later  days.  He  was  made  the 
Bishop  of  Antioch,  and  labored  there  for  forty 
years.  The  favorite  title  by  which  his  friends 
called  him  was  "Theophorus,  or  "the  God- 
bearer,"  one  whose  soul  is  full  of  God.  His  life  in 
Antioch  was  spent  in  times  of  deepest  anxiety  and 
peril,  but  his  noble  devotion  kept  the  Christiana 
firm  in  their  faith,  and  incited  them  to  zeal  foi 
the  Master's  cause.  His  one  great  longing  was 
that  Christ  might  honor  him  with  calling  him  to 
be  a  martyr.  His  longing  was  at  length  gratified, 
and  about  a.  d.  107,  by  a  circuitous  route,  he  was 
carried  to  Rome  in  chains  for  refusing  to  take  part 
in  the  heathen  religious  ceremonies  connected  with 
Trajan's  entrance  to  Antioch.  His  foes  thought 
to  intimidate  the  other  disciples  by  the  sight  of 
their  aged  Bishop  in  bonds,  led  away  to  death, 
but  it  had  the  effect  of  nerving  them  to  greater 
constancy. 

Upon  reaching  Rome  he  was  thrown  to  the  wild 
beasts  in  the  amphitheatre,  and  thus  his  spirit  was 
released. 

Some  of  the  letters  of  Ignatius  have  been  pre- 
served,   and   are   most  valuable,    as   showing   the 
nature  of  the  Church's  government  in  those  days, 
4 


50  MANUAL  OF   INSTRUCTION 

and  as  indicating  the  origin  of  certain  heresies 
which  at  length  grew  to  dangerous  proportions,  of 
which  we  will  learn  presently. 

Justin  Martyr. — A  Christian  Father  who  stands 
out  prominently  about  the  middle  of  the  second 
century,  is  Justin  Martyr.  He  was  born  in  Pales- 
tine, in  the  province  of  Samaria.  As  a  young 
man  he  went  to  Alexandria  to  be  educated.  He 
studied  the  philosophical  systems  of  the  day,  but 
found  no  satisfaction.  At  length,  while  meditating 
in  a  lonely  place,  he  was  met  by  an  aged  Christian, 
who  taught  him.  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and 
Justin  became  a  believer.  All  his  powers  were 
now  devoted  to  the  Church.  He  travelled  from 
place  to  place,  teaching  the  religion  of  the  Saviour, 
and  finally  settled  at  Rome.  While  there  he  be- 
came useful  in  combating  certain  heresies  which 
had  arisen,  but  his  great  work  was  his  ''Apolo- 
gies for  the  Christian  Faith."  These  were  writings 
designed  to  convince  the  more  educated  heathen 
of  the  truth  of  Christianity,  and  must  have  been 
invaluable  aids  to  the.  Church's  progress,  although 
the  public  disputations  and  the  writings  of  Justin 
exposed  him  to  especial  danger.  He  was  be- 
headed in  a.  d.  165. 

Polycarp. — Among  the  most  amiable  of  all  the 
Fathers  was  Polycarp,  the  Bishop  of  Smyrna.  He 
seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  the  same  sort  as  his 
teacher,    St.    Tohn,   and  to  have  imbibed  much  of 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  5 1 

that   apostle's   spirit       The   saintly   character    of 
Polycarp  won  for  him  the  especial   reverence  of  the 
disciples.      His  name  appears  in  great  prominence 
(n  his   efforts  to  settle  a  controversy  which    arose 
between  the  Christians  of  the  West  and  those  of 
the    East  as  to  the  time  of  keeping  Easter.     Al- 
though the   controversy   was   not    settled  by  their 
adopting  the  same  time,  yet  the  wisdom  and  piety 
of  the  Bishop  checked  much  of  the  bitterness,  and 
taught    them    to    tolerate    differences   of  opinion, 
thus  pieserving   the    peace    of   the   Church.      His 
efforts  were  also  blessed  in   checking  the  spread  of 
heresies.      During  the  persecutions  he  was  ever  a 
help   and    strength-   to     the    distressed    disciples. 
Finally,  when  himself  a  very  aged  man,   he  fell  a 
victim  to  the  fury  of  his  adversaries,  the  heathen, 
and   was    put   to    death    in    a.  d.  167.       He   was 
burnt  to   death.      He  will  always  be   remembered 
by  the   noble  words    he   spoke  when  commanded 
by    the   proconsul    to   deny   his    Lord,    and    thus 
escape  death.      "Sixty  and  eight  years,"  said  he, 
"have    I    served    Him,  and    He  has   never  failed 
me  :  and  shall  I  now  deny  Him  ?" 

Iren^eus. — A  disciple  of  Polycarp  was  Irenaeus, 
the  Bishop  of  Lyons.  He  was  born  in  Smyrna, 
accompanied  Polycarp  upon  his  visit  to  Rome, 
and  finally  settled  in  Lyons,  where  he  was  elevated 
to  the  Episcopate.  His  writings  are  particularly 
important  to  us  because  of  his  enumeration  of  the 


52  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

succession  of  Bishops  of  Rome  down  to  his  day, 
and  his  testimony  as  to  the  Books  of  Scripture 
which  the  early  Church  deemed  sacred.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  there  were  many  written 
accounts  of  our  Lord's  life,  and  many  epistles 
written  to  the  different  congregations  of  the 
Church,  and  it  was  important  to  know  which  were 
inspired  and  which  were  not.  Irenaeus  records 
the  judgment  of  the  early  Church  upon  this 
point,  and  helps  settle  the  important  question  as 
we  now  receive  the  list.  Under  an  edict  of  the 
emperor  Severus,  Irenaeus,  with  many  others, 
met  death.     The  date  of  his  martyrdom  was  a.  d. 

202. 

Tertullian. — A  man  of  a  severer  spirit,  who  be- 
came prominent  in  the  early  part  of  the  third  cen- 
tury, was  Tertullian.  He  was  born  in  Carthage, 
was  noted  for  his  great  and  varied  learning,  and 
became  a  Christian  after  the  most  diligent  investi- 
gation of  its  principles  and  its  claims.  He  was 
a  very  bold,  soldierly  disciple.  At  the  time  of  the 
deepest  peril  to  the  Christians  he  wrote  to  the 
martyrs  in  prison,  and  encouraged  them  to  re- 
main firm,  and  was  especially  severe  upon  those 
who  fled  to  other  places  to  secure  safety.  Tertul- 
lian's  record  was  blemished  by  his  accepting  the 
errors  of  the  Montanists. 

This  was  a  party  in  the  Church  of  that  day  that 
insisted     upon     a     particularly    rigid     discipline. 


IN    CHURCH    HISTORY.  53 

claiming   that   they  had   received  new  revelations 
fr^m  our  Lord  upon  this  subject. 

The  stern,  severe,  disposition  of  Tertullian 
inclined  him  to  receive  their  views,  and  thus  his 
great  powers  were  rendered  less  useful  than  they 
might  have  become,  although  his  words  were 
always  a  mighty  force  in  the  Church,  even  when 
excommunicated  for  his  errors.  He  was  the  un- 
sparing censor  of  whatever  seemed  like  worldli- 
ness,  and  rebuked  his  brethren  because  they  did 
not  live  up  to  sufficiently  rigid  rules.  Doubtless 
his  mission  was  needed  to  keep  up  the  courage  of 
those  who  suffered,  and  to  prevent  others  from 
falling  into  sinful  compliance  to  escape  troubles. 
Although  he  favored  the  Montanist  heresy,  he  was 
the  great  opponent  of  other  forms  of  heresy,  and 
wrote  most  learned  works  against  them.  He 
labored  and  wrote  as  a  Presbyter  in  Carthage, 
until  very  old,  and  died  about  a.  d.  230. 

Origen. — One  of  the  greatest  scholars  of  the  early 
days  was  Origen.  He  was  born  of  Christian 
parents,  in  Alexandria,  in  a.  d.  185,  and  was  bap- 
tized in  his  infancy.  His  great  intellect  was 
early  manifested.  While  a  mere  boy  he  knew 
whole  sections  of  the  Bible,  and  could  perplex  his 
teachers  with  very  difficult  questions. 

His  father  seemed  to  perceive  the  great  work  to 
which  his  son  was  called,  for  it  is  said  that  while 
the  boy  was  sleeping  he  would  often  kneel  by  his 


54  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

bedside  in  thankfulness  to  God  for  such  a  son,  and 
would  kiss  the  child's  breast  as  a  temple  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  That  father  became  a  martyr,  but  in 
the  hours  of  his  trouble  was  comforted  by  the  ex- 
hortations of  his  son.  When  Origen  was  but 
eighteen  years  old  he  was  nominated  as  the  head 
of  the  school  for  catechumens  at  Alexandria.  The 
higher  classes  of  this  school  virtually  comprised  a 
department  for  preparing  )  oung  men  for  the  sacred 
ministry.  Origen's  fame  rapidly  increased,  and  schol- 
ars flocked  to  be  benefitted  by  his  teaching.  All  over 
Egypt  and  in  many  other  places  his  writings  were 
copied  and  spread.  He  became  a  complete  master 
of  the  heathen  systems  of  philosophy,  and  con- 
vinced many  of  the  learned  of  his  day  that  Christi- 
anity answered  the  deepest  needs  of  their  souls. 
With  an  intellect  so  keen,  and  with  learning  so 
great  and  profound,  he  yet  became  the  advocate 
of  some  errors,  which  were  partly  the  result  of  the 
very  depths  to  which  his  researches  carried  him. 
If  he  had  been  content  to  receive  simply  what 
had  been  revealed  for  man's  instruction  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  he  would  have  kept  from  error ;  but  his 
wonderful  intellect  led  him  to  explore  fields  of 
thought  where  no  clear  revelation  has  been  made, 
and  hence  his  errors.  His  life  was  a  painful  one. 
It  became  so  partly  through  the  mortifications  he 
inflicted  upon  himself,  and  partly  through  the 
Bufferings  into  which  his  opinions  led   him.     He 


-IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  55 

selected  poverty  as  his  portion,  although  wealth 
was  offered  him,  had  but  one  coat,  wore  no  shoes, 
slept  on  the  bare  floor,  and  mutilated  his  own 
body. 

He  was  ordained  a  priest,  late  in  life,  while  in 
Palestine.  Some  of  his  peculiar  opinions  exposed 
him  to  the  censure  of  the  Church,  and  led  to  great 
suffering  on  his  part.  . 

He  was  probably  the  greatest  scholar  of  his  time, 
and  as  Jerome  says,  wrote  more  than  one  man 
could  read.  Over  800  of  his  letters  were  collected 
by  Eusebius.  His  books  which  remain  are  mostly 
explanations  of  the  Scriptures. 

Cyprian.  — The  greatest  Bishop  of  the  third  cen- 
tury was  doubtless  Cyprian,  of  Carthage.  He  was 
born  a.  d.  200,  and  after  living  a  luxurious  life 
as  a  wrealthy  heathen,  became  a  Christian  in  a.  d. 
245,  sold  his  goods  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor,  and 
henceforth  devoted  himself  to  a  holy  life. 

In  a  very  few  years  after,  so  great  had  his  repu- 
tation for  piety  and  learning  become,  that  he  was, 
in  spite  of  his  most  earnest  remonstrances,  chosen 
Bishop  of  Carthage,  by  the  voice  of  the  people. 
He  served  some  ten  years,  when  the  crown  of 
martyrdom  was  given  him. 

His  administration  of  the  office  of  a  Bishop  was 
with  great  energy,  wisdom  and  faithfulness  ;  and 
his  writings  which  remain  to  us  are  valuable  be- 
cause of  the  high  ideal  be  formed  of  the  Episcopate, 


56  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION. 

and  of  the  magnificence  of  the  Church.  To  him 
the  Church  of  Christ  was  indeed  the  Kingdom  of 
God  on  earth,  and  he  never  grew  weary  in  speak- 
ing of  its  praises. 

These  now  named  are  sometimes  called  the 
Ante-Nicene  Fathers.  But  it  would  make  a  long 
list  to  go  on  giving  an  account  of  the  many  others, 
such  as  Clement,  Narcissus,  Gregory,  Dionysius, 
who  by  their  important  services  gave  solidity  to  the 
Church. 

Of  course  these  men,  although  called  Fathers  of 
the  Church,  were  not,  as  we  have  seen,  entirely 
free  from  errors  ;  but  we  must  not  be  surprised  at 
that,  for  God  alone  is  perfect,  and  even  apostles 
needed  the  gift  of  inspiration  to  preserve  them 
from  blundering. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  CONSTAN- 

TINE. 

CONSTANTINE's    CONVERSION CHANGES     IN     THE     RE* 

LIGION  OF  THE    EMPIRE — NICE — CONSTANTINOPLE. 

Dates. 

A,   D.     312.        CONVERSION    OF    CONSTANTINE. 
325.       COUNCIL    AT    NICE. 

A  very  marvellous  change  in  the  external  affairs 
of  the  Church  took  place  when  Constantine  became 
the  Emperor  ot  Rome,  about  a.d.  323.  The  father 
of  Constantine  had  treated  the  Christians  with  com- 
parative kindness,  but  still  paganism  was  the  religion 
of  the  empire,  until  Constantine  ascended  the  throne. 
His  conversion  to  Christianity  took  place  while  he 
was  at  the  head  of  his  armies,  marching  against 
Maxentius,  who  had  seized  the  government  of  Italy. 
It  is  said  that  while  greatly  discouraged  by  the 
rebellion  against  him,  which  was  led  by  Maxentius, 
he  saw  a  vision  of  a  cross  in  the  sky,  with  the  words 
" In  hoc  signo,  vimts"  meaning,  "By  this  sign, 
thou  shalt  conquer." 


58  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

He  adopted  the  cross  on  his  banners,  and  went 
forward  to  victory.  Whether  it  pleased  God  to 
work  a  special  miracle  for  his  conversion  or  not,  we 
cannot  tell,  but  from  the  hour  that  Constantine  saw, 
or  fancied  he  saw,  the  cross  in  the  sky,  he  favored 
the  Christians,  and  sought  to  make  their  religion  that 
of  the  empire.  Thus  after  over  two  centuries  of 
sorrow,  the  Church  triumphed.  Edicts  were  issued 
by  the  Emperor  calling  upon  his  subjects  to  embrace 
the  Christian  faith,  forbidding  the  idolatrous  rites 
of  paganism,  and  putting  an  end  to  the  cruelties 
which  had  been  so  generally  practiced. 

Christians  were  appointed  to. the  public  offices, 
the  clergy  were  loaded  with  favors,  the  sign  of  the 
cross  was  marked  upon  the  armor  and  weapons 
of  the  soldiers,  and  many  churches  were  built. 

His  ardor  was  inflamed  more  and  more  by  his 
mother,  Helena,  a  British  lady,  who  had  long  been 
a  very  zealous  Christian,  and  who  induced  him  to 
expend  great  sums  of  money  in  identifying  the 
scenes  of  sacred  events  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  the 
construction  there  of  a  magnificent  church. 

The  two  great  events  which  stand  out  promi- 
nently in  the  reign  of  the  first  Christian  emperor, 
are  the  assembling  of  the  first  general  Council  of 
the  Church  at  Nice,  and  the  building  of  the  city  of 
Constantinople.  Both  of  these  were  events  of  great 
importance.  The  first  was  the  authoritative  settling 
of  the  faith  of  the  Church  as  against  the  errors  of 


IN  CHURCH   HISTORY.  59 

heretics.  The  second  was  one  of  the  steps  which 
led  finally  to  the  division  of  the  Church  into  an 
Eastern  and  a  Western  section. 

Eut  the  whole  reign  of  Constantine  was  filled 
with  important  events.  In  the  adaptation  of  the 
Church  to  the  new  condition  of  things,  we  must 
not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  many  evils  sprang 
up,  and  that  grievous  errors  and  abuses  followed 
the  new  era  of  temporal  prosperity.  When  it 
became  the  fashion  of  the  day  to  make  a  Christian 
profession,  there  were  many  who  changed  from 
paganism  to  the  new  religion  without  imbibing  its 
spirit ;  and  when  the  clergy  were  so  laden,  as  they 
became,  with  wealth  and  honors,  there  were  some 
who  could  not  endure  the  trials  of  prosperity,  but 
grew  corrupt  both  in  doctrine  and  in  life. 

Constantine's  own  character  and  life  were  not 
such  as  we  usually  associate  with  that  of  a  sincere 
Christian.  Although  he  defended  Christianity,  he 
was  not  baptized  until  late  in  his  life,  during  his 
closing  illness.  Much  allowance  for  his  errors 
and  his  sins  must  be  made  on  the  ground  of  the 
condition  of  the  times,  particularly  the  distrac- 
tions which  then  began  to  prevail  in  the  Church 
itself.  Towards  the  end  of  his  reign  dark  crimes 
stained  his  record,  and  occasionally  he  seemed  to 
lean  again  to  paganism. 

His  establishment  of  Constantinople,  as  the  first 
Christian    city,  was,  it  is  thought,  partly  from  the 


60  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

remorse  he  experienced  after  the  crimes  he  sanc- 
tioned in  Rome,  the  execution  of  his  son  and 
others  accused  of  treason,  and  partly  by  his  dis- 
gust with  the  paganism  which  ever  sought  to  draw 
him  back  to  its  embrace.  Constantinople  was  a 
grand  city.  Churches  were  the  principal  build* 
ings.  Monasteries  and  schools  were  numerous. 
Its  Bishop  was  given  the  title  of  Ecumenical,  or 
Universal  Patriarch.  There  Constantine  died,  in 
his  sixty-fourth  year,  after  reigning  thirty-one 
years  as  emperor. 

How  marvellous  were  now  the  changes  which 
came  to  pass  in  the  history  of  the  Church. 
Stately  buildings  began  to  arise  in  every  place, 
and  the  heathen  temples  were  converted  into 
churches.  It  was  no  longer  necessary  to  worship 
in  the  secresy  of  obscure  places,  but  the  songs  of 
praise  rang  out  boldly  all  over  the  empire.  The 
court  of  the  emperor  was  thronged  with  the  clergy, 
who  were  loaded  with  favors,  and  many  of  the 
high  offices  were  in  their  hands.  Wealth  pouied 
into  the  treasury  of  the  Church,  and  the  resources 
of  the  realm  were  made  tributary  to  her  advance- 
ment. Protected  by  the  power  of  the  government, 
the  missionaries  could  go  everywhere  and  proclaim 
their  message. 

The  whole  influence  of  the  empire  was  thrown 
upon  the  side  of  the  Church.  It  was  a  marvel- 
lous  change  !     Some  of  the  very  men  who   had 


IN  CHURCH    HISTORY.  6l 

been  maimed  and  tortured  during  the  previous 
persecutions,  others  who  had  lost  their  all  except 
life  itself,  came  out  of  their  hiding-places  to  find 
the  religion  for  which  they  suffered,  now  the  religion 
of  the  empire. 

But,  how  sad  it  is  to  confess  it,  this  marvellous 
change,  this  wonderful  increase  of  temporal  prosper- 
ity, was  not  entirely  a  blessing.  It  became  some- 
times a  hindrance  and  not  a  help,  for  the  trials  of 
prosperity  are  as  hard  to  bear  as  the  trials  of  adver- 
sity, and  then  too  there  almost  immediately  sprang 
into  prominence  those  corruptions  of  the  true  faith 
by  the  heretics,  by  which  the  Church  was  torn  and 
agitated  for  many  ages  afterward.  As  we  read  on 
we  are  to  learn  how  numerous  and  how  dreadful 
these  heresies  were,  and  we  are  to  see  how,  with  the 
growth  of  worldly  wealth  and  power,  the  purity, 
simplicity  and  earnestness  of  the  early  times  gave 
way  to  arrogance  and  superstition. 


CHAPTER   X. 
THE  GREAT  COUNCILS  OF   THE  CHURCH. 

NIce CONSTANTINOPLE EPHESUS CHALCEDON 

FIFTH    AND  SIXTH    CONSTANTINOPLE ARIUS MACE- 

DONIUS — NESTORIUS EUTYCHIUS — MONOTHELITES. 

Dates  of  General  Councils. 

a,  d.  325.  NICE. 

381.  CONSTANTINOPLE. 

43I.  EPHESUS. 

45I.  CHALCEDON. 

553.  CONSTANTINOPLE. 

'680.  CONSTANTINOPLE. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  Church  began  to  make 
progress  that  her  doctrines  were  misunderstood, 
and  then  corrupted. 

Allusions  are  made  in  the  New  Testament  itself 
to  the  rise  of  false  doctrines.  The  Epistles  were 
written  partlv  to  correct  errors  which  were  rising 
wherever  men  sought  to  add  to  the  revelation 
which  God  had  made,  and  to  explain  it  to  suit 
their  own  philosophy, 


CHURCH    HISTORY.  63 

Arianism. — One  of  the  most  important  errors 
that  soon  spread  alarmingly  was  with  reference 
to  the  Divinity  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  In  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  early  confessions  of  faith,  men 
declared,  "I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God,"  but  soon  some  tried  to  explain  the  nature 
of  His  divinity,  and  to  make  clear  to  human  rea- 
son those  deep  mysteries  respecting  the  nature  of 
the  Godhead  which  it  has  not  pleased  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  reveal  to  us.  At  length  there  arose  one 
named  Arius,  a  presbyter  of  Alexandria,  who  pre- 
sumed to  declare  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was 
not  truly  God,  but  a  creature  made  by  God,  and 
liable  to  fall  into  error  and  sin  ;  that  He  did  not 
exist  as  the  second  Person  of  the  Trinity,  as  God 
from  all  eternity,  but  that  He  was  only  a  superior 
kind  of  being,  having  an  existence  before  the 
world  began,  and  that  all  His  virtues  and  powers 
were  not  His  own,  but  only  such  as  were  imparted 
to  Him. 

It  was  a  most  blasphemous  doctrine,  and  struck 
at  the  very  roots  of  the  whole  Christian  faith,  for 
if  Christ  be  not  the  God  incarnate,  then  all  wor- 
ship paid  to  Him  is  wrong,  and  all  our  hopes  of 
eternal  life  through  Him  are  vain. 

Arius  was  hardly  the  originator  of  this  most  dread- 
ful doctrine,  for  others  before  him  held  the  same 
view.  It  is,  however,  associated  with  him,  and 
has  been   called   Arianism,    because    of  his   bold 


64  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

development  and  advocacy  of  it.  Arianism 
spread  rapidly  and  widely.  Cities  and  towns  were 
distracted  by  it.  Even  Bishops  and  leading 
Presbyters  adopted  it,  and  the  din  of  controversy 
was  everywhere  heard.  So  rapidly  did  the  heresy 
grow  in  some  sections,  that  it  seemed  as  if  it  would 
utterly  supplant  the  true  faith,  and  introduce  a 
Christianity  entirely  different  from  that  which  St. 
Paul  had  preached,  and  for  which  so  many  martyrs 
had  died. 

Cohstantine  found  the  Church  fairly  torn  asun- 
der in  some  sections  by  this  heresy,  and  it  was  for 
the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  true  faith,  and 
healing  the  distractions,  that  he  called  together  the 
Council  at  Nice. 

The  Council  at  Nice.— This  great  council,  the 
first  ecumenical,  or  general  council,  assembled 
a.  d.  325. 

A  summons  had  been  issued  to  the  Bishops  and 
clergy  in  all  parts  of  Christendom,  asking  them  to 
meet  together,  to  decide  as  to  the  truth  or  false- 
hood of  the  doctrine  of  Arius. 

Nice  was  situated  in  Bithynia,  on  the  bank  of  the 
Ascanian  Lake.  It  was  a  large,  well-built  city. 
Every  provision  was  made  at  the  Emperor's  com- 
mand, and  at  his  expense,  for  entertaining  the 
clergy  who  were  expected.  318  bishops,  and 
many   of  the   inferior    ministers,    attended.      The 


IN  CHURCH   HISTORY.  6* 

total  number  present  is  supposed  to  have  been 
over  two  thousand,  representing  nearly  every  coun- 
try, although  the  majority  came  from  the  East.  It 
continued  its  session  for  three  months.  The 
emperor  himself  attended,  and  everything  was 
done  to  lend  dignity  and  force  to  the  proceedings. 

There  were  many  present  who  had  suffered 
dreadfully  in  the  preceding  persecutions.  The 
Council,  from  every  point  of  view,  must  be  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  interesting,  as  well  as  one 
of  the  most  important,  gatherings  held  in  the 
interests  of  religion. 

It  met  at  first  in  a  large  hall,  and  afterwards  in 
the  imperial  residence.  In  the  centre  of  the  room, 
upon  a  throne-like  structure,  was  placed  a  copy  of 
the  Holy  Gospels.  The  Bishops  alone  seemed  to 
be  considered  as  official  members  of  the  council, 
but  the  opinions  of  those  of  lower  rank  were  asked 
and  given.  There  was  much  discussion.  Day 
after  day  it  continued,  and  sometimes  with  great 
bitterness.  No  one  could  tell  for  awhile  what  the 
end  would  be,  nor  how  the  majority  would  decide. 
The  man  who  stepped  forward  most  boldly  in  de- 
fence of  orthodoxy,  and  swayed  the  minds  of  the 
wavering,  was  Athanasius,  a  Deacon  of  Alexan- 
dria, hardly  twenty- five  years  old,  the  attendant  of 
the  aged  Bishop  of  that  place.  The  force  and  fire 
of  his  speeches  chained  the  attention  of  the  assem- 
bly, discomfitted  the  Arians,  and  led  to  the  happy 

5 


66  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION. 

result  of  denning  the  faith  as  it  had  been  received 
in  the  primitive  days.  The  greater  portion  of  the 
Nicene  Creed,  as  we  now  have  it,  was  the  outcome 
of  this  Council,  and  by  it  the  true  Divinity  of 
Christ  is  declared,  as  against  all  of  such  errors  as 
had  been  proclaimed  by  Arius. 

The  Creed  adopted  by  the  Councfl  was  signed 
by  the  Bishops  who  approved  it,  and  became 
thenceforth  the  confession  of  the  faith  of  the 
Church.  Arianism  did  not  die  out  at  once,  but 
sometimes  showed  great  strength.  In  later  days  it 
reappeared,  under  different  names,  and  in  our  time 
exists  under  the  name  of  Unitarianism. 

Second  Council,  Constantinople. — The  second 
general  council  was  held  in  the  city  of  Constanti- 
nople, in  a.  d.  381,  under  the  reign  of  the  emperor 
Theodosius.  Its  main  object  was  to  determine 
the  true  faith  with  reference  to  the  Holy  Spirit. 
In  the  controversies  fomented  by  the  Arians,  many 
erroneous  views  had  been  set  forward,  not  only 
with  reference  to  the  nature  of  Christ,  but  also 
with  reference  to  the  nature  of  the  third  Person  of 
the  Trinity.  Macedonius,  a  leading  Arian,  was 
the  leader  of  a  party  that  taught  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  merely  a  creature  made  by  the  Son,  and 
was  not  truly  God.  The  result  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  Council  was  the  enlargement  of  the  Nicene 
Creed,  to  express  the  belief  of  the  Church  in  the 


IN    CHURCH    HISTORY.  6/ 

true  divinity  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  words 
added  were,  "the  Lord  and  Giver  of  life,  who 
proceedeth  from  the  Father,  who  with  the  Father 
and  the  Son  togelher  is  worshipped  and  glorified." 

Third  Council,  Ephesus. — The  third  general 
council  met  in  Ephesus,  in  a.  d.  431,  under  the 
reign  of  Theodosius,  the  Second. 

The  Nestorian  heresy  was  the  particular  matter 
to  be  considered.  Nestorius  the  patriarch  of  Con- 
stantinople, taught  that,  "God  the  Word,  and  the 
man  Christ  Jesus,  were  different  persons  under 
the  same  appearance  ;  that  the  union  of  the  divine 
and  the  human  was  one  of  will  only;  that  Christ 
was  to  be  carefully  distinguished  from  God  who 
dwelt  in  him."  The  Council  determined  that  the 
true  faith  of  the  Church  was  that  the  Word  was 
made  flesh  ;  that  Christ  was  one  Divine  Person, 
but  having  two  natures,  God  and  man — which 
natures  were  closely  and  intimately  united,  with- 
out being  mixed  or  confounded. 

Fourth  Council,  Chalcedon. — Chalcedon  was 
the  place  finally  selected  for  holding  another  gen- 
eral council.  This  fourth  council  met  in  a.  d. 
451,  Theodosius  being  still  the  emperor. 

Opposition  to  the  Nestorian  heresy  had  led 
some  into  an  opposite  extreme.  Opposing  Uie 
Nestorian  view,  that  Christ  was  to  he  thought  of   as 


6$  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

a  distinct  person  from  God  who  dwelt  in  Himv 
some  fell  into  the  opposite  error  of  contending  that 
in  Christ  there  was  but  one  nature,  that  of  the 
incarnate  Word  ;  and  virtually  denying  the  human 
nature  of  the  Redeemer,  making  Him  a  semi-divine, 
semi-human  combination.  This  heresy  is  known 
as  the  Monophysite,  or  the  Eutychian  heresy. 
The  former  term  meaning  one  nature,  and  the 
latter  referring  to  Eutyches,  the  leader  of  the  sect. 
About  630  Bishops  attended,  and  they  declared 
the  faith  of  the  Church  to  be,  that  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  there  are  two  perfect  and  distinct  na- 
tures, the  Godhead  and  the  manhood,  united  in 
one  Person,  without  mixture,  change  or  confusion. 

Fifth  Council,  Constantinople. — The  fifth 
general  Council,  held  in  Constantinople  in  a.  d. 
553,  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  kind  of  supplementary 
council  to  the  preceding  four,  for  the  main  work 
it  did  was  to  condemn  the  Nestorian  heresy,  which 
had  again  arisen  ;  and  to  re-affirm  the  doctrine 
settled  by  the  other  general  councils. 

Sixth  Council,  Constantinople. — The  last  of 
the  councils  of  the  Church  which  can  properly  be 
called  ecumenical,  or  general,  was  held  at  Con- 
stantinople, a.  d.  680,  under  the  reign  of  the 
Emperor  Constantine  Pogonatus.  There  was  one 
held  later,  which  is   frequently  called  the  Seventh 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  69 

general  council,  but  its  authority  is  not  universally 
admitted. 

The  heresy  condemned  by  this  sixth  council  was 
called  the  Monothelite  heresy.  It  was  really  a 
branch  of  the  Eutychian  heresy.  Its  main  point 
was  that  after  the  incarnation  there  was  but  one 
will  in  Christ,  that  of  the  incarnate  God.  The 
Council  declared  the  faith  of  the  Church  to  be 
that  as  there  were  two  perfect  natures,  so  there 
were  two  wills,  the  divine  and  the  human. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  because  one  leading 
heresy  has  been  singled  out,  in  this  account,  as 
condemned  by  each  Council,  that  these  were  the 
only  heresies  which  arose  in  all  the  period  from 
a.  d.  325  to  a.  p.  680,  or  that  the  work  of  each 
Council  consisted  simply  in  condemning  heresies. 
The  sad  truth  meets  us  as  we  turn  over  the  pages 
of  the  past,  that  there  was  rarely  a  period  when 
efforts  were  not  made  to  corrupt  the  faith  of  the 
Church.  Sometimes,  indeed,  the  heresies  were  the 
result  of  earnest,  but  one-sided,  unbalanced,  search- 
ing for  the  truth  ;  but  the  orthodox  writers  were 
wont  to  ascribe  them  to  the  efforts  of  the  evil  one 
to  lead  men  from  the  simple  truth  as  God  had 
revealed  it. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  bitterness,  too,  mixed 
up  with  these  controversies,  and  sometimes  the 
factions   came    into   actual   contact,    resorting    to 


70  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION. 

physical  violence  to  carry  their  points.  In  some 
cases  the  disgraceful  proceedings  of  mobs  were 
prompted  in  the  name  of  religious  questions. 
Even  the  Councils  were  not  free  from  undignified 
conduct,  and  on  some  occasions,  seemed  to  forget 
that  "the  servants  of  the  Lord  must  not  strive." 

Excommunication  was  resorted  to  by  the  Bishops, 
and  by  small  local  councils,  very  frequently,  so  that 
one  who  was  declared  orthodox  in  one  place  was 
condemned  as  a  heretic  in  another. 

But  notwithstanding  so  much  that  was  object- 
ionable adheres  to  the  history  of  the  Church  of  those 
times,  God  has  overruled  all  controversies  and 
strifes  of  men  to  the  preserving  of  the  faith  as  He 
caused  it  to  be  delivered  to  kiAy  men  of  old,  and 
we  are  to  look  at  the  six  councils  as  declaring 
authoritatively  what  was  tha   7 1th. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  PERIOD  COVERED  BY  THE  GENERAL 

COUNCILS. 

CONSTANTINE   JULIAN  —  GOTHS      AND      VANDALS 

MOHAMMED. 

A.  D.     361-63.     JULIAN,    EMPEROR. 

395.       DIVISION    OF    ROMAN    EMPIRE    INTO    EAST 

AND   WEST    SECTIONS. 
476.       WESTERN    ROMAN  EMPIRE    FELL. 
568.       LOMBARDS    INVADE    ITALY. 
596.       AUGUSTINE,     THE    MONK,    SENT   TO     ENG- 
LAND. 
639.        MOHAMMEDANS    IN    PALESTINE. 

Over  three  hundred  years  elapsed  from  the  time 
of  the  holding  of  the  first  council  at  Nice  to  that  of 
the  last  at  Constantinople.  (325-680.)  It  is 
difficult  to  compress  into  few  words  the  many  im- 
portant events  of  these  three  centuries,  or  even  to 
call  attention  to  the  many  great  landmarks  of  their 
history.  A  few  only  will  therefore  be  selected.  We 
have  seen  that  the  closing  work  of  Constantine  was 
the  founding  of  the  Christian  city,  Constantinople. 
It  seemed  that  the  Christian  religion  was  now  firmly 


72  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

established  as  the  religion  of  the  empire,  and  never 
to  be  superseded  ;  but  to  the  terror  of  the  Christian 
world,  when  Julian  came  to  the  throne,  in  a.d.  361, 
he  labored  most  vigorously  to  restore  the  ancient 
religion  of  the  empire.  He  rebuilt  the  altars  of  the 
gods,  ordered  the  closing  of  the  churches,  deprived 
the  clergy  of  their  privileges,  and  surrounded  him- 
self with  those  who  favored  paganism.  Consider- 
ing the  distracted  state  of  the  Church  by  reason  of 
its  controversies,  and  the  bitter  opposition  made 
upon  each  other  by  the  contending  factions. 
Julian's  plans  at  one  time  appeared  to  be  likely  to 
succeed  ;  but  happily  his  reign  was  not  long,  and 
after  his  death  no  Emperor  succeeded  who  was 
imbued  with  his  love  of  paganism. 

In  the  fourth  century  a  new  terror  arose  from 
the  incursions  of  the  barbarous  tribes  of  the  north, 
who  precipitated  themselves  upon  the  provinces  of 
the  empire,  and  overran  the  countries  of  the  west, 
Britain,  Germany,  Italy  and  Spain.  These  savage 
hordes  had  been  kept  in  check  during  the  earlier 
days  of  the  empire,  but  now,  as  the  military  power 
of  Rome  was  declining,  they  threw  themselves  re- 
sistlessly  against,  first,  its  outer  posts,  and  then 
upon  its  very  centre.  The  irruption  of  these  tribes 
can  be  compared  to  nothing  less  than  an  ava- 
lanche, so  completely  did  they  sweep  all  before 
them,    and  spread  themselves  over  the  land. 

For  many  long  years  it  appeared  as  if  they  would 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  73 

annihilate  all  laws,  religion,  and  social  usages, 
and  establish  in  the  fairest  portions  of  the  land, 
their  own  savage  beliefs  and  customs. 

But  God  had  His  plans  with  reference  to  them, 
and  it  seemed  that  they  were  led  from  their  homes 
to  receive  the  knowledge  of  salvation.  The 
Church  became  at  length  their  conquerors,  not 
always  with  force  of  arms,  but  through  the  power  of 
more  gentle  measures. 

The  barbarians  became  Christians,  not  all  at 
once,  nor  for  many  years  ;  nor  did  all  receive  the 
truth  in  its  purity,  but  by  degrees  they  gave  up 
the  worship  of  their  false  gods,  and  became  the 
worshippers  of  Christ. 

While  in  the  West  the  northern  tribes  were  oc- 
casioning alarm,  in  the  East  another  trouble  grew. 
Mohammedanism  appeared  as  a  conquering  power, 
devastating  with  fire  and  sword,  and  compelling 
thousands  in  Arabia  and  elsewhere  to  submit  to  its 
sway.      It  began  about  a.  d.  620. 

The  rise  of  the  religion  of  Mohammed,  was  at  a 
time  very  favorable  to  its  growth.  The  nations  of 
the  East  had  not  been  largely,  at  this  time,  brought 
under  the  power  of  the  Church,  and  where  Chris- 
tianity prevailed  it  was  usually  there  in  some 
distorted  form,  after  the  views  promulgated  by  the 
heretics.  The  heretical  sections  contended  with  each 
other,  and  even  resorted  to  strife  and  bloodshed. 
Mohammed's  religion   was   a  mixture  of  truths 


74  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

perverted  from  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  and  pre- 
tended revelations  made  to  himself  as  a  prophet 
of  God.  "  There  is  but  one  God,  and  Mohammed 
is  the  prophet  of  God, "  was  the  cry  of  his  followers. 
It  was  taken  up  with  renewed  zeal  after  his  death, 
and  was  at  length  heard  all  through  Persia  and 
Syria.  In  subsequent  ages,  even  the  holy  places 
of  Judea  were  overrun  by  followers  of  the  false 
prophet,  and  their  hold  upon  them  has  never  yet 
been  entirely  overthrown. 

The  events  briefly  alluded  to,  did  not,  of  course, 
bloom  out  in  their  fulness  in  these  three  centuries, 
but  had  their  rise  and  some  of  their  development  then. 

The  sixth  and  seventh  centuries  were  truly  a 
period  of  sorrow.  The  empire  was  falling  to 
pieces.  Upon  one  side  the  Goths,  Vandals,  and 
Huns  were  battering  at  its  gates  ;  upon  the  other 
the  towering  form  of  a  false  religion,  sustained  by 
armed  hosts,  was  crushing  all  before  it.  Through- 
out the  empire  contending  factions  in  the  Church 
were  quarrelling,  and  effeminacy  was  superceding 
the  old  Roman  vigor.  Manhood,  patriotism  and 
Christianity  were  in  a  degraded  condition,  and  it 
seemed  probable  to  human  vision  that  the  civiliza- 
tion of  the  past  would  be  swept  away  by  the 
two  forces  that  were  coming  in  opposite  directions. 
However,  God  interposed,  holding  back  Moham- 
medanism, and  infusing  new  principles  into  th<? 
barbarians  of  the  West. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  GREAT  NAMES  THAT  APPEAR  DUR- 
ING THE  GENERAL   COUNCILS. 


AMBROSE- 

—  CHR" 

rSOSTOM AUGl 

JEROME — AN: 

Datesy 

A.   D. 

325- 

ANTHONY. 

345- 

JEROME. 

374- 

AMBROSE. 

395- 

AUGUSTINE. 

397- 

CHRYSOSTOM. 

412. 

CYRIL. 

464. 

LEO. 

We  must  glance  back  again  over  the  period 
of  three  centuries,  to  look  at  the  names  of 
some  of  those  who  became  prominent  in  the 
Church.  Some  of  them  loom  up  as  Bishops  who 
extended  the  power  of  the  Church,  others  as  writers 
who  explained  the  Christian  system,  and  others  as 
the  founders  of  societies  for  promoting  works  of 
charity  and  holiness  of  life. 


j6  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

Ambrose  was  the  Bishop  of  Milan.  He  was 
chosen  to  this  office  by  the  popular  voice  in  a.  d. 
374,  when  he  was  thirty-four  years  old,  and  oc- 
cupied the  position  until  a.  d.  390.  His  influence 
during  his  life-time  was  most  beneficial,  and  his 
writings  have  helped  instruct  many,  in  all  ages 
since.  His  bold,  unswerving  devotion  to  the  right 
was  illustrated  in  his  forbidding  the  emperor  The- 
odosius  to  enter  a  church  until  he  had  repented 
of,  and  made  some  reparation  for,  the  crime  of 
permitting  the  slaughter  of  some  of  his  subjects. 
The  emperor  yielded  at  length,  and  came  as  a 
penitent  to  the  house  of  God.  Ambrose  is  be- 
lieved to  have  written  the  Te  Deum,  and  to  have 
remoulded  the  music  of  the  Church,  introducing 
those  simple  melodies,  now  called  Gregorian,  but 
which  are  thought  to  be  the  same  as  were  used  in 
the  Jewish  Church  from  the  days  of  David. 

Chrysostom  was  the  great  preacher  of  the  early 
centuries,  eloquent  to  that  degree,  that  he  was 
called  "the  golden  mouthed."  He  was  made 
Bishop  of  Constantinople,  about  a.  d.  397,  when 
he  was  fifty  years  old.  His  history  is  almost  a 
romance,  so  full  is  it  of  interesting  details.  For 
years,  almost  daily,  in  his  church,  would  enrapt 
congregations  listen  to  him.  Sometimes  his 
invectives  against  sin  would  lead  to  his  being  per- 
secuted, but  when  delivered  fmrn  peril  he  would 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  JJ 

go  on  as  boldly  as  ever.  He  wrote  much,  chiefly 
in  explanation  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  We  use 
in  the  Church  services  a  prayer  of  which  he  is  the 
author. 

Augustine  was  bom  a.  d.  354,  made  Bishop  of 
Hippo,  in  Africa,  a.  d.  395,  and  died  a.  d.  430. 
He  was  a  giant  in  intellect,  and  has  influenced  to 
a  great  extent  the  theology  of  the  Church  in  all 
subsequent  ages.  His  writings  are  very  extensive, 
and  consist  of  explanations  of  the  Bible,  sermons, 
and  systematic  treatises  on  theology.  His  two 
best  known  books  are  hi.;  "Confessions,"  and 
"The  City  of  God." 

Cyril,  Bishop  of  Alexandria,  a,  d.  412,  was  a 
zealous,  almost  warlike,  Bishop,  in  times  of  pe- 
culiar trouble,  when  the  barbarous  tribes  weie 
making  their  attacks,  and  heresies  were  evervwhere 
spreading. 

Leo  the  Great,  was  Bishop  of  Rome  for  over 
twenty  years,  dying  in  a.  d.  461.  He  is  chiefly 
remembered  now  by  his  "Sacramentary, "  which 
contains  the  earliest  of  our  collects,  which  he  had 
collected  from  primitive  sources. 

Jerome,  was  one  of  the  most  learned  of  the  Latin 
writers.  He  was  born  in  a.  d.  345,  and  died  in 
his  seventy-eighth  year.  Much  of  his  time  was  spent 
at  Bethlehem,  and  his  great  passion  was  the  study 


78  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION. 

and  translation  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  The  ver- 
sion, in  Latin,  now  used  in  the  Roman  Church, 
was  made  by  him.  His  life  was  one  of  the  greatest 
self-mortification. 

Anthony  was  the  founder  of  the  monastic  system. 
However  much  in  later  days  his  imitators  have 
departed  from  the  ideai  he  set  before  himself,  and 
however  much  his  ideal  may  have  been  defective, 
he  comes  to  our  notice  as  one  who  was  exceedingly 
eager  to  live  a  holy  life,  and  to  get  out  of  the  cor- 
ruption which  began  to  prevail  in  his  day.  He 
and  his  companions  supported  themselves  by  the 
work  of  their  hands,  and  gave  generously  to  the  poor. 
Anthony  was  present  at  the  Council  at  Nice,  as  the 
friend  of  Athanasius,  and  his  influence  went  far  to 
aid  the  latter  in  checking  the  Arian  heresy. 

But  we  cannot  continue  the  list.  There  are 
many  others  who  are  entitled  to  mention,  and  per- 
haps equally  so,  with  those  now  named.  To  get  a 
clear  idea  of  the  part  any  of  them  took  in  the 
Church's  afTairs,  it  is  necessary  to  study  their  lives 
more  in  detail  than  can  be  here  attempted. 

We  must  remember,  too,  in  forming  an  estimate 
of  them,  not  to  judge  them  by  the  standards  of  our 
own  day,  but  of  the  times  in  which  they  lived, 
although  some  of  them  were  men  of  such  true 
greatness  that  they  would  have  towered  beyond 
their  fellow-men,  in  whatever  age  they  had  lived. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  PERIOD  FROM  THE  SIXTH  COUNCIL 
TO  THE   DIVISION  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

EUROPE    SLUMBERING SARACENS PAPAL     POWER — - 

MONASTIC  ORDERS  —  FEUDAL  SYSTEM  DIVISION. 

A.   D.     711.  SARACENS    IN   SPAIN. 

768-814.  REIGN    OF    CHARLEMAGNE. 

87I-9OI.  ALFRED     THE  GREAT    OF     ENGLAND. 

IO54.  DIVISION    OF   THE    CHURCH. 

The  next  period  of  history  at  which  we  are  to 
look,  extends  from  a.  d.  680  to  a.  d.  1054,  at 
which  latter  date  the  Church  was  rent  into  two  por- 
tions. The  pictures  presented  are  not  very  cheer- 
ing in  their  nature,  for  ignorance,  worldliness  and 
superstition  prevailed.  It  was  a  winter  period  of 
cold  and  dreariness.  It  seems  doubly  dreary  to 
us,  living  at  this  distance  from  it,  because  of  the 
corruptions  of  the  true  faith  which  were  nearly 
everywhere  spread,  and  which  overshadowed  what- 
ever of  primitive  truth  and  piety  there  was.  Doubt- 
less there  were,  in  every  place  where  the  Redeemer 


80  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

was  worshipped,  the  same  loving  trust  and  godly 
sincerity  which  have  been  in  the  world  ever  since  the 
Church  was  planted.  We  know  too  that  there  was 
much  zeal  for  the  extension  of  the  faith,  for  it  was 
spread  during  this  period  to  regions  which  had  not 
before  received  it.  These  four  centuries  constituted 
a  period  in  which  much  of  the  world  seemed  to 
be  slumbering.  Not  that  it  was  an  entirely  deep 
sleep,  but  the  old  empire,  with  its  vigorous  life,  was 
crumbling  away,  the  east  was  sealed  by  the  spread 
of  the  Saracens,  and  for  a  long  while  the  feudal 
system  laid  its  icy  hand  upon  all  general  progress. 
The  four  most  notable  points  for  our  conside- 
ration are  :  the  conflicts  with  the  Saracens  ;  the  ex- 
tension of  the  papal  power ;  the  rise  of  monastic 
orders  ;  and  the  rise  of  the  feudal  system. 

The  Saracens. — The  Saracens  were  the  believers 
in  Mohammedanism.  They  became  a  mighty  war- 
like power,  and  aimed  at  a  subjugation  of  the  world 
to  their  faith,  through  the  force  of  their  arms. 
They  were  enthusiastic,  and  relentless.  One  vic- 
tory paved  the  way  for  another.  To  crush  and  to 
destroy  was  the  passion  of  their  lives.  They  could 
not  be  softened.  Nothing  but  superior  force  could 
turn  them  aside  from  their  purpose. 

Pushing  on  from  the  west  eastward  they  planted 
their  victorious  standards  upon  the  ruins  of  cities 
and  towns,  and  at  last,  in  a.  d.  672,   came  in  front 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  8 1 

of  the  walls  of  Constantinople  itself.  Here  they 
were  met  and  checked,  although  for  five  years  the 
siege  was  kept  up.  Turning  from. the  city,  they 
poured  their  hosts  along  the  northern  shores  of 
Africa,  and  upon  the  ruins  of  Christian  churches 
built  their  mosques.  Their  territories  stretched,  at 
length,  for  2000  miles,  from  Syria  along  the  shores 
of  the  Mediterranean. 

Resting  awhile,  they  crossed  to  Europe,  and 
pressed  on  .  through  Spain  into  the  interior  of 
France,  and  then  along  to  the  heart  of  Europe. 
Their  dreams  of  universal  dominion  seemed  about 
to  be  realized. 

But  Europe  was  aroused.  The  issue  was  now 
one  in  which  every  interest  was  staked.  If 
they  went  further,  Christianity  must  go  down  and 
Mohammedanism  would  be  the  religion  of  the  world. 
But  God  would  not  suffer  His  Church  to  be  obli- 
terated. Charles,  the  Hammer,  son  of  Pepin, 
was  raised  up  to  protect  the  imperilled  Church.  In 
a.  d.  732  the  great  battle  was  fought  at  Tours, 
between  the  Saracens,  on  one  side,  and  the  Franks 
and  Germans  on  the  other.  300,000  of  the  sons 
of  Islam  fell.  The  rout  was  complete ;  and  Mo- 
hammedanism was  hurled  back. 

The  Papal  Power. — In   the   first   days    of  the 
Church,  Jerusalem  was  honored  as  the  seat  of  the 
chief  Episcopate,  but  gradually,  through  the  impor- 
6 


82  MANUAL  OF   INSTRUCTION 

tance  of  the  city  of  Rome,  the  Bishops  of  the  latter 
place  were  accorded  much  consideration,  although 
no  power  over  other  Bishops  was  given  them.     As 
time  went  on,  and  the  empire  became  Christian,  the 
Roman   bishops  gained  in  honor,  and    began    to 
claim  especial  powers  and  privileges.     When  Con- 
stantinople was  built,   the  Bishop  of  that  city  was 
styled  "the  Universal  Bishop,"  although  the   title 
never  gave   him   any   authority   over   others.     In 
the  case  of  the   Roman  bishops,   too,  at  first,  the 
supremacy  was  considered  simply  honorary.     Dur- 
ing parts  of  the  sixth  and  seven  centuries,  there  were 
disputes  between  the  Bishops  of  the  two  cities  con- 
cerning which  of  the   two   should   be   called   the 
"Ecumenical  Bishop.''     But  with  the  increase  of 
wealth,  and  especially  the  adding  of  lands  in   Italy 
to  the  possessions  of  the  Roman  Bishop,   he  began 
to  take  rank  as  a   temporal  prince,   as  well  as  a 
spiritual  ruler.     So  long  as  the  claims  made  by  the 
Roman  Bishop  to  a  title  of  supremacy  were  pressed 
only  by  argument,  they  received  but  little  consid- 
eration ;   but  growing  temporal  strength  gained  for 
them  acceptance  by  those  who  were  weaker  than 
they,  or  who  courted  their  favor. 

During  the  period  we  are  now  considering,  the 
Roman  Bishops  became  wealthy,  powerful  princes  ; 
and  as  superstition  and  ignorance  spread  over  the 
land,  their  supremacy  increased  with  both.  The 
title     "The    Pope"    came    into    common    use, 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  8$ 

as  applied  to  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  although  pre- 
viously it  had  been  given  to  the  Bishops  of  other 
places. 

There  were  few  causes  that  brought  about  so 
much  evil  as  this  increase  of  the  power  and 
dominion  of  the  Bishops  of  Rome.  It  tended  to 
beget  and  to  perpetuate  error,  and  bound  men  in 
bondage  to  superstition.  In  subsequent  days  the 
Pope  claimed  power  to  bestow  crowns  upon  rulers, 
to  regulate  the  affairs  of  nations,  and  to  receive 
the  homage  of  all  men,  in  matters  temporal  and 
spiritual. 

The  Rise  of  Monastic  Orders. — We  are  not  to 
look  for  the  first  beginnings  of  the  monastic  sys- 
tem in  this  period,  for,  as  we  have  seen,  Anthony, 
in  the  fourth  century,  was  the  founder  of  a  brother- 
hood who  devoted  themselves  to  an  ascetic  life. 
Even  earlier  than  his  time,  there  were  many  who 
turned  their  backs  upon  the  world,  and  lived  in 
caves  and  solitary  places  as  hermits  and  anchorites. 
The  monkish  orders,  however,  were  greatly  multi- 
plied in  this  period,  and  came  into  very  great  favor. 
The  Benedictine  order  was  founded  in  a.  d.  529, 
by  Benedict  of  Nursia,  a  pious,  zealous  man, 
whose  aim  was  to  encourage  others  in  devotion 
and  usefulness.  Money  poured  in  upon  them, 
and  the  order  became  the  leading  one  in  the  west. 
Others   flourished  in  different  sections,  and  pres- 


84  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

ently  it  became  the  popular  notion  that  if  one 
desired  to  lead  a  hcly  life,  it  was  necessary  to  enter 
a  monastic  order. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  that  so  long  as  the  rules 
of  the  founders  of  these  orders  were  observed,  their 
influence  was  wholesome.  Learning  was  encour- 
aged in  the  monasteries,  copies  of  the  Scriptures 
were  multiplied,  the  works  of  the  Fathers  were 
transcribed  and  studied,  schools  were  established, 
the  poor  were  fed,  an  asylum  was  always  ready  for 
the  sick  and  the  troubled,  and  great  churches  were 
built.  Even,  indeed,  when  the  strictness  of  the 
founders'  rules  was  departed  from,  they  still  sub- 
served many  useful  purposes. 

At  the  close  of  this  period,  however,  the  monas- 
tic orders  had  declined  in  usefulness,  and  the 
good  they  had  the  opportunity  of  doing  was  often 
left  undone,  although  their  popularity  was  never 
so  great  before.  Even  kings  left  their  homes  to 
shut  themselves  up  in  the  monasteries,  that  they 
might  devote  themselves  to  prayer  and  meditation 
and  holy  deeds.  So  high  did  the  monks  stand  in 
favor,  that  many  were  promoted  to  posts  of  honor 
under  the  different  governments.  The  revenues 
of  the  different  orders  grew  to  be  immense,  and 
their  lands  were  almost  beyond  measuring 

The  Feudal  System. — To  understand  the  feudal 
system,   it  must   be   remembered    that,   when    the 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  85 

Roman  empire  was  in  its  strength,  its  powerful 
arms  were  so  spread  out  over  all  its  dominions 
that  it  was  one  vast  government,  although  made 
up  of  many  tribes  of  "men.  When  the  empire  fell, 
it  fell  to  pieces,  to  many  pieces  indeed  ;  and  its 
territory  became  ruled  over  by  numerous  kings 
and  princes.  Never  again  were  the  broken  pieces 
cemented  together,  but  the  subdividing  process 
seemed  to  go  on  almost  indefinitely.  Not  that  all 
rulers  were  princes,  in  one  sense  of  the  word,  but 
in  every  country  there  were  numerous  rulers,  who 
held  sway  each  over  a  small  extent  of  territory. 
They  were  called  barons,  or  feudal  lords.  Each 
petty  prince  built  his  castle,  and  around  it  flocked 
the  peasants  and  others  for  employment  and 
protection.  Sometimes  one  of  these  small  rulers 
became  powerful  enough  to  control  a  number  of 
others  of  his  class,  and  now  and  then  one  rose  to 
great  supremacy. 

Charlemagne  did  much  to  restore  a  semblance 
of  the  old  empire,  but  never  again  was  so  vast  an 
empire  as  Rome  once  was  to  be  established. 
During  the  prevalence  of  feudalism,  the  common 
people  sometimes  suffered,  and  sometimes  were 
benefitted.  Their  condition  was  usually  deplora- 
bly ignorant  and  degraded,  except  as  they  clustered 
in  large  towns  and  cities,  whose  rising  commercial 
importance  gave  facilities  for  education  and  com- 
fort.     In  the  numerous  wars  between  rival  princes, 


86  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

the  Church  became  the  protector  of  the  exposed 
peasants,  and  sometimes  her  clergy  would  put  on 
the  garments  of  the  soldier,  to  fight  for  the  rights 
of  the  Church  and  of  the  poor. 

In  picturing  to  ourselves  the  condition  of  the 
things  during  this  period,  especially  towards  its  end, 
we  are  to  think,  first,  of  the  monastery,  with  its 
great  church,  its  cloisters,  its  farm  and  tenants, 
and  its  schools  ;  then  of  the  castle,  with  its  armor- 
clad  soldiers,  its  surrounding  peasantry  ;  and  then 
of  the  few  cities  where  commerce  had  attracted 
population,  and  accumulated  wealth. 

It  is  difficult  to  describe  in  sufficiently  clear 
terms  the  utter  misery  which  prevailed  at  the  close 
of  the  ninth  century  and  extended  still  later. 
Education  was  confined  almost  entirely  to  the 
clergy,  and  even  they,  as  a  general  rule,  were  in  a 
deplorable  condition  of  ignorance.  The  peasant 
population  of  Europe  was  depressed,  poor,  and 
unhappy.  Robbers  frequented  every  road,  and 
there  seemed  to  be  no  authority  left  to  punish 
them.  Lands  were  left  untilled,  and  famines  and 
plagues  spread  in  every  quarter. 

As  the  ninth  century  drew  to  an  end,  there 
prevailed  almost  throughout  Christendom  the 
belief  that  the  world  was  coming  speedily  to  an 
end. 

The   year   999  was   regarded   as    the  last  year, 


IN  CHURCH    HISTORY.  Sj 

The  wretchedness  that  was  spread,  and  the  general 
disorganization  of  society,  seemed  to  convince 
tvery  one  that  some  wonderful  change  might  be 
expected  ;  and  then,  too,  strange  as  it  may  seem, 
the  expectation  of  the  world's  ending  led  to  the 
increase  of  this  wretchedness.  Men  -left  their 
ordinary  employments,  the  activities  of  life  seemed 
suspended,  and  the  condition  of  society  was  like 
that  of  the  crews  of  sinking  vessels,  who  give 
themselves  up  to  the  wildest  excesses  as  they  see 
ruin  so  near  at  hand. 

But  the  new  century  dawned,  and  the  knell  of 
doom  was  not  struck.  The  earth  moved  on  in 
her  course  around  the  sun.  The  stars  beamed  as 
brightly  as  ever.  The  Son  of  Man  had  not  yet 
appeared  to  open  the  books  and  to  declare  His 
Judgment. 

A  great  weight  of  dread  was  at  once  lifted  off 
the  minds  of  all  men,  and  the  new  century,  which 
had  been  looked  forward  to  with  so  much  terror, 
came  in  laden  with  many  blessings. 

We  can  hardly  over-estimate  the  importance  of 
the  change  which  it  ushered  in.  The  torpor,  the 
unquiet,  the  distress  of  the  past  began  to  be 
changed  ;  not,  it  is  true,  at  once  or  entirely,  but 
a  new  state  of  things  began. 

The  change  was  observable  in  the  care  that  was 
given  to  the  restoration  of  the  crumbling  churches, 
and  to  the  construction  of  new  ones.     For  a  long 


88  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

while  before  it  had  seemed  useless  to  build  with 
the  view  of  permanence  ;  now,  however,  grand 
structures,  upon  a  gigantic  scale,  began  to  loom 
up. 

The  neglected  fields  were  tilled,  the  ordinary 
channels  of  industry  were  again  resorted  to,  the 
laws  against  criminals  were  enforced,  and  society 
became  more  secure. 

One  note  that  was  struck  began  to  vibrate 
throughout  the  whole  Christian  world, — the  cru- 
sades for  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  City.  No  one 
knew  at  first  what  wondrous  changes  the  cry, 
"Jerusalem  must  be  recovered  1"  would  produce  ; 
how  it  would  set  in  motion  the  turbid  waters,  how 
indeed  the  whole  destiny  of  the  world  would  be 
eventually  changed.  But  we  will  learn  more  of 
the  crusades  further  on  in  this  history. 

We  are  brought  now  up  to  the  time  of  the 
division  of  the  Church  into  its  Eastern  and  Western 
parts.  There  were  many  causes  that  brought  it 
about.  It  was  not  the  work  of  one  day  or  one 
century.  The  building  of  Constantinople,  the 
arrogance  of  the  Roman  Popes,  the  insertion  of  an 
article  in  the  Nicene  Creed  by  the  Western  Church 
without  the  authority  of  a  general  council  ;  the 
many  controversies  and  excommunications,  first  of 
one,  and  then  of  another — these  led  finally  to  the 
great  division,  the  date  of  which  is  a.  d.  1054. 
Some    communion    between    the    two    branches 


C>, 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  S9 

existed  long  after,  but  that  year  seemed  to  be  the 
time  when  intercourse  generally  began  to  cease. 

In  this  rapid  review  of  this  period,  of  course,  we 
have  not  been  able  to  do  more  than  look  at  a  few 
of  its  leading  characteristics. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FROM  THE  DIVISION  OF  THE  CHURCH  TO 
THE  REFORMATION- A.  D.   1064-1517. 

THE      CRUSADES — ROMISH     ERRORS — INVENTIONS     AND 
DISCOVERIES — DECLINE  OF  FEUDALISM. 

Dates.     A.   D. 

IO96.  FIRST  CRUSADE. 

I  I  I  8.  ORDER     OF    KNIGHTS     TEMPLAR    FOUNDED. 

I  I46.  SECOND  CRUSADE. 

I  I  70.  DEATH  OF  THOMAS  -A-BECKET. 

I  189.  THIRD  CRUSADE. 

I209.  ATTEMPTS  TO  EXTERMINATE  THE  ALBIGENSES 

I  2  1 7.  FOURTH  CRUSADE. 

1223.  FRANCISCAN    ORDER  ESTABLISHED. 

12  28.  FIFTH  CRUSADE. 

I248.  SIXTH    CRUSADE. 

I27O.  SEVENTH  CRUSADE. 

I294.  ROGER  BACON  BORN. 

I348.  CANNON  FIRST  USED. 

I383.  WICLIFF's    BIBLE  TRANSLATION. 

1452.  INVENTION  OF  PRINTING. 

I483.  LUTHER  BORN. 

I492.  AMERICA  DISCOVERED. 

We  have   compared  the  preceding  period  to  a 
winter  condition.     The  period  we  are  now  to  con- 


IN    CHURCH    HISTORY.  91 

sider  may  be  likened  to  the  spring-time.  Not 
indeed  to  the  balmy  days  of  spring,  but  to  those 
days  which  come  with  sunshine  and  storms,  hail 
and  sleet,  yet  with  clearer  light ;  longer  days,  less 
of  night  in  them,  and  give  promise  of  summer  at 
hand. 

There  are  few  periods  of  history  more  impor- 
tant than  the  four  centuries  now  to  be  examined. 
Changes,  overturnings,  and  the  infusion  of  new 
ideas,  became  the  order  of  the  times. 

We  will  try  to  select  some  of  the  leading  features, 
as  we  did  in  the  preceding  period.  Among  the 
many  points  worthy  of  attention,  there  are  five 
which  stand  out  prominently. 

First,  the  Crusades.  Second,  the  corruptions  of 
the  faith  by  the  Roman  Church.  Third,  the  de- 
cline of  Feudalism.  Fourth,  the  inventions  and 
discoveries.  Fifth,  the  movements  which  led  to 
reform. 

The  Crusades. — The  victorious  march  of  the 
Saracens  in  the  east  led  them  to  Jerusalem  in  the 
beginning  of  the  tenth  century.  Their  banners 
were  planted  over  the  holy  places.  The  rallying 
cry  of  the  Christians  was  raised  by  Sylvester,  the 
new  pope  of  Rome,  who  succeeded  to  that  position 
a.  d.  998.  "Soldiers  of  Christ,  arise  and  fight  foi 
Zion,"  were  his  words,  which  rang  out  over  the 
West.     There  was  no  response  at  first,   while  yet 


92  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

indignation  and  sorrow  filled  every  Qirislian  heart. 
At  length,  about  the  close  of  the  tenth  century, 
Peter  the  Hermit  began  to  preach  a  crusade  against 
the  infidels  who  had  intrenched  themselves  in 
Palestine,  and  had  committed  many  cruelties  upon 
the  swarms  of  pilgrims  to  the  sacred  places. 

The  long  smouldering  fires  in  the  bosoms  of  the 
men  of  the  West  were  fanned  into  furious  flame  as 
they  listened  to  the  preaching  of  the  Hermit.  He 
recounted  the  wrongs  perpetrated  upon  the  pilgrims, 
told  of  the  wealth  of  eastern  places  which  might  be 
gathered,  and  particularly  of  the  merit  which  he 
said  they  would  earn,  both  now  and  hereafter,  who 
would  rid  the  holy  city  of  its  defilements. 

Suddenly  (a.  d.  1095)  there  was  gathered  to- 
gether a  rabble  armed  in  every  variety  of  fashion. 
There  were  princes  and  peasants,  beggars  and 
robbers,  an  indescribable  multitude  of  all  nations 
of  the  West,  pouring  forth  to  the  East  upon  the  first 
crusade.  It  was  an  immense  mob-like  expedition, 
numbering  some  300,000.  Upon  the  breast  or 
shoulder  of  each  one  there  was  worn  a  red  cross. 
At  first  it  seemed  as  if  this  torrent  would  prove  to 
be  utterly  irresistible,  but  it  was  soon  seen  to  be 
an  utterly  undisciplined,  riotous  mob.  Its  pas- 
sage through  Europe  was  like  that  of  a  devastating 
flood.  With  violence,  riotous  living,  and  crime, 
they  pressed  on,  leaving  hosts  of  their  number  dead 
as  they  crowded  forward.     They  were  not  to  reach 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  93 

the  holy  city.  But  a  small  proportion  of  them 
escaped  the  attacks  of  the  Saracens,  who  destroyed 
their  ships  as  they  issued  forth  from  Constantinople. 
Only  about  20,000  of  the  vast  multitude  ever  re- 
turned to  their  homes.  None  of  the  whole  num- 
ber ever  came  in  sight  of  Jerusalem.  The  holy  city 
remained  in  the  possession  of  the  infidels. 

We  might  suppose  that  so  disastrous  an  ending 
would  have  discouraged  any  further  efforts,  but 
within  a  year  another  reinforcement  was  on  its 
way.  This  second  portion  was  led  by  the  knights 
and  barons,  more  military  in  its  character  than  the 
preceding.  All  the  great  soldiers  of  Europe  were 
in  it.  Six  hundred  thousand  men,  with  innume- 
rable attendants,  made  up-the  four  armies  of  which 
it  was  composed. 

As  before,  thousands  perished  by  the  way,  and 
many  stayed  behind  in  the  cities  and  towns  through 
which  the  route  lay.  Others  perished  in  conflicts 
into  which  they  were  led  before  they  reached 
Palestine.  At  last  the  Crusaders  met  the  Turks  on 
the  plains  of  Phrygia,  and  achieved  a  victory  ;  but 
hunger,  thirst  and  heat  brought  dismay  into  their 
ranks.  Their  horses  all  died.  It  is  said,  that 
upon  one  single  day  five  hundred  men  died  of 
thirst.  Quarrels  broke  out  between  the  different 
races  in  the  ranks.  But  notwithstanding  their 
sufferings,  they  pressed  on  and  besieged  Antioch. 
Here,    however,    the   luxurious   living  into  which 


94  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

they   plunged,    produced    results   as   fatal    as    the 
privations  they  had  suffered. 

Antioch  was  finally  captured,  but  plagues  broke 
out  and  cut  off  many  of  the  captors.  When  they 
resumed  their  march,  but  fifty  thousand  of  the 
force  of  six  hundred  thousand  were  left.  Nothing 
could  exceed  their  enthusiasm  when  Jerusalem 
appeared  before  their  gaze.  They  stretched  out 
their  hands,  fell  upon  their  knees,  and  raised 
loud  shouts,  * '  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  God  wills 
it  !" 

A  long  struggle  for  its  possession  ensued  ere 
they  could  enter;  but  they  finally  triumphed,  and 
the  streets  ran  with  Moslem  blood.  Godfrey  of 
Bouillon  was  made  the  ruler  of  the  city,  and  it 
was  again  added  to  the  domains  of  Christendom. 
But  the  force  left  to  hold  the  city  was  all  too  small 
to  resist  the  assaults  of  the  Saracens.  Other  cru- 
sades followed.  There  were  eight  in  all,  extending 
from  a.  d.  1095  to  a.  d.  1270,  nearly  two  hundred 
years.  Sometimes  there  would  be  a  long  interval, 
then  the  fires  would  break  out  again.  They 
never  became  so  enormous,  however,  as  the  first. 
The  crusading  spirit  died  out  after  the  disastrous 
expedition  of  Louis  IX.  of  France,  a.d.  1270,  when 
the  infidel  was  left  in  unmolested  possession  of 
Palestine.  It  is  estimated  that  over  two  millions 
of  lives  were  sacrificed  in  the  crusades,  and  the 
treasure   expended   is  beyond   calculation.     Some 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  95 

countries     were     nearly     depopulated     and    im- 
poverished. 

As  attempts  to  subdue  the  Moslem  power,  the 
Crusades  failed,  and  the  sacrifice  of  human  life  is 
appalling ;  but  results  have  flowed  from  the  Cru- 
sades, to  bless  the  world  to  the  latest  days.  They 
helped  dispel  ignorance  ;  they  set  in  motion  the 
stagnation  which  had  before  been  the  condition  of 
all  classes ;  they  led  to  the  re-distribution  of  the 
soil ;  they  made  changes  in  the  status  of  the  lower 
classes ;  and  they  excited  thought  and  inquiry, 
which  eventually  led  on  to  reform. 

Although  they  were  organized  for  the  recovery 
of  the  holy  places  in  Palestine,  and  failed,  we  may 
regard  these  movements  as  leading  finally  to  the 
recovery  of  holy  truths  which  had  been  lost  through 
the  reign  of  superstition.  But  for  the  upheaval  of 
Europe  by  the  Crusades,  the  world  might  have 
slumbered  on,  and  the  rust  of  error  would  have 
gathered  all  the  more  heavily  over  the  truth,  and 
have  eaten  it  away.  The  beneficial  results  of  the 
Crusades  were  not  evident  at  once.  They  came 
out  slowly,  and  were  not  fully  recognized  for  many 
a  day  after  the  last  one  ended. 

The  Growth  of  Romish  Errors. — It  is  hard  to 
recognize  in  the  lordly  rulers  who  occupied  the 
papal  throne,  in  this  period,  much  likeness  to  tha 
primitive  bishops,  who  with  the  utmost  simplic'tv 


g6  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

and  with  unsparing  devotion,  ministered  to  the 
people  the  truths  of  God.  It  is  as  hard,  too,  to 
see  the  likeness  between  some  aspects  of  the 
Church  that  then  existed,  and  the  band  of  disci- 
ples, first  called  Christians  at  Antioch. 

Doubtless  if  we  could  have  the  history  of  this 
period  written  out  for  us  fully,  there  would  be 
many  a  redeeming  feature  found  in  it.  God's 
truth  and  God's  Church  cannot  be  in  the  world 
without  begetting  holy  lives,  and  holy  deeds  ; 
and  there  never  has  been  a  time,  even  in  the 
darkest  periods,  when  there  have  been  none  to 
worship  Him  in  sincerity  and  truth. 

It  would  be  strange,  indeed,  if,  among  the 
myriads  who  at  this  time  named  the  name  of  Christ, 
there  were  not  a  goodly  number  who  were  better 
than  the  average,  and  more  free  from  the  debasing 
superstitions  that  prevailed. 

When,  however,  superstitions  and  corruptions 
become  united  with  the  holding  of  power,  it  is 
hard  to  rise  superior  to  them  or  to  shake  them  off. 
The  arrogant  assumptions  of  the  popes  of  Rome 
were  connected  very  closely  with  the  prevalence  of 
corrupt  doctrines  and  practices. 

Without  recounting  all  the  errors  that  were  then 
spread,  we  may  specify  : 

First,  The  virtual  subjugation  of  all  temporal 
governments  to  the  dominion  of  the  pope.  There 
seemed  to  be  no    escape    from   his    grasp.       He 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  97 

could  direct  the  armies  of  one  nation  against 
another,  and  remove  the  crown  from  a  king's 
head.  Whatever  was  promulged  by  his  authority, 
whether  in  matters  temporal  or  matters  spiritual, 
must  be  received  without  question.  This  thorough 
subserviency  to  papal  rule  would  not  have  been  so 
fraught  with  evil,  had  the  popes  always  been  good 
men.  Unhappily  some  of  them  were  warriors, 
others  were  reckless  evil  livers,  and  some  were 
almost,  if  not  quite,  infidels. 

Second,  A  second  error  was  the  belief  in  the 
efficacy  of  the  intercession  of  saints  and  angels  foi 
sinners.  There  is  but  one  Mediator  between  Go<* 
and  man,  Christ  Jesus  ;  but  as  time  went  or.,, 
prayers  began  to  be  addressed  to  the  Virgin  Marr. 
and  to  others  ;  and  their  intervention  in  behalf  a 
sinful  men  was  implored. 

Third,  The  belief  in  purgatory  led  to  many  at 
abuse  of  the  primitive  faith.  Claiming  that  the 
souls  of  the  departed  needed  purification  before 
they  could  be  admitted  to  heaven,  there  grew  up 
the  offering  of  masses  for  the  dead,  and  the  pvi 
chase  of  favor  in  their  behalf. 

Fourth,  A  superstitious  regard  for  relics,  image*, 
and  the  like,  made  the  worship  of  some  resemb.i 
the  old  idolatry  which  had  been  overthrown. 

But  the  list  of  errors  is  too  long  to  be  recited 
her-e.  We  will  see  it  again  as  it  will  come  before 
us  in  the  account  of  the  Reformation.     Suffice  it 

7 


98  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

to  say,  that  the  hand  of  Rome  was  spread  out 
everywhere,  and  it  was  neither  a  very  clean  nor  a 
very  gentle  hand. 

Even  when  good  men  ascended  the  papal  chair, 
the  customs  and  traditions  of  the  office  overcame 
whatever  there  might  have  been  of  good  influence 
on  their  part.  Alas,  that  it  should  have  been  so  ; 
that  they  who  represented  the  life  of  the  blessed 
Christ  to  men  should  have  so  distorted  it,  and  have 
made  it  so  hideous  and  repulsive  ! 

Inventions  and  Discoveries. — One  of  the  results 
of  the  agitation  which  grew  out  of  the  Crusades, 
was  the  increase  of  general  mental  activity.  It  was 
not  long  before  the  peasant  found,  that  although 
devoid  of  rank,  he  could  rival  the  wealth  of  the 
knight,  by  engaging  in  commerce.  The  rich  com- 
modities of  the  East  began  then  to  be  sources  of 
trade,  and  presently  the  manufacture  of  goods  was 
encouraged  in  the  West. 

Commercial  cities  and  towns  sprang  up,  and  em- 
ployment was  found  for  classes  which  had  been  de- 
pendent upon  baronial  protection.  Then,  as  wealth 
came  to  the  masses,  there  were  the  accompaniments 
of  wealth — better  houses,  general  improvement  in 
men's  surroundings,  and  education. 

Wars  began  to  assume  a  different  character, 
for  the  invention  and  use  of  gunpowder  was 
the   fatal  blow  to  knighthood  ;  and   with  its  fall, 


IN  CHURCH   HISTORY.  99 

there   fell   many  usages  which  had    prevailed    for 
ages. 

A  mighty  revolution,  too,  was  carried  on  by  the 
general  employment  of  the  art  of  printing.  Before 
printing  became  so  general,  books  were  copied  out 
by  the  pens  of  the  monks  and  others,  and  the  pos- 
session of  a  manuscript  or  illuminated  copy,  was 
possible  only  for  the  wealthy,  or  for  some  public 
institution.  The  rapid  multiplication  of  copies  of 
books,  by  printing,  helped  to  popularize  learning, 
and  to  put  the  truths  of  revelation  and  of  science 
into  the  hands  of  the  many. 

Then  came  the  use  of  the  mariners'  compass, 
enabling  seamen  to  make  longer  voyages  than  had 
ever  been  attempted  before,  and  encouraging  the 
daring  exploits  of  Columbus,  which  led  to  the  dis- 
covery of  a  new  continent.  With  the  discovery  of 
this  continent  there  seemed  to  be  a  widening  of 
the  conceptions  of  men,  and  a  shaking  loose  from 
the  petty  views  which  had  hitherto  influenced 
them.  Although  it  was  many  years  before  any 
permanent  settlements  were  made  in  America,  yet 
from  the  time  of  its  discovery  there  began  to  spread 
a  spirit  of  adventure  and  love  of  exploration,  which 
had  their  influence  subsequently  over  the  condition 
of  the  whole  world. 

The  Decline  of  Feudalism. — It  will  readily  be 
seen  that  the  growing  earnestness  of  the  times  was 


100  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

opposed  to  the  continuance  of  a  system  of  multi- 
plied petty  governments,  and  of  the  depression  of 
the  lower  classes  of  society.  So  long  as  the  peasant 
was  ignorant,  he  was  content  to  be  the  vassal  of  the 
baron  ;  but  as  he  grew  in  the  scale  of  enlightenment 
he.  became  restive  under  such  a  yoke.  Then,  after 
the  Crusades,  there  was  a  great  unsettling  of  all 
previous  relationships.  The  peasant  had  become 
the  warrior  ;  from  that  he  glided  into  mercantile 
callings;  and  thence  into  the  position  of  the  wealthy 
townsman.  As  commerce  became  established,  the 
manufacture  of  commodities  was  pressed  with  vigor, 
and  gradually  there  arose  a  class  of  citizens  as 
wealthy  and  as  intelligent  as  their  former  rulers  had 
been.  The  changes  in  the  modes  of  warfare  which 
were  introduced  diminished  the  effectiveness  of  the 
knight  as  a  soldier,  and  ancient  military  tactics 
gave  way  before  the  use  of  gunpowder.  For  these 
reasons,  and  for  many  others,  the  feudal  system 
faded  away.  The  remnants  of  it  existed  still  in 
very  modified  forms,  but  it  was  impossible  to  revive 
it  as  it  once  existed. 

It  required  no  prophet  to  declare  that  the  world 
was  approaching  a  mighty  crisis  of  some  kind,  when 
the  years  rolled  along,  and  there  came  to  be  an 
earnest  life  in  the  world  which  had  not  been  so 
seen  before.  We  must  think  of  society  as  being 
acted  upon  by  mighty  forces  which  were  preparing 
it  to  break  the   trammels  in  which  it  was   held. 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  IOI 

Possibly  none  knew  exactly  what  was  coming,  nor 
what  they  wished  might  come.  Here  and  there, 
there  was  a  cry  for  reform,  and  now  and  then  some 
blind,  impulsive  movement  towards  the  light.  The 
pen  of  some  writer,  like  a  keen  sword,  would  tear 
open  the  hypocrisy  of  the  monkish  orders,  and  men 
would  hold  their  breath  in  terror.  Some  one  would 
secure  a  copy  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  venture  to 
read  its  almost  new  stories  to  his  neighbors.  In 
some  lonely  places  a  few  would  be  bold  enough  to 
talk  together  about  the  evils  of  the  times,  and  to 
deplore  the  weight  of  the  iron  hand  that  pressed 
them  down  so  heavily.  Then  the  darkness  would 
grow  darker,  but  it  was  the  dark  hour  before  the 
dawn  ;  and  the  dawn  was  nearer  than  some  of  them 
thought 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE   REFORMATION  PERIOD. 

DANGERS — WICLIFFE — LUTHER ENGLAND. 

Dates  ;  a.  d. 

14  I  5.       JOHN    HUSS    MARTYRED. 

I5O9.       CALVIN    BORN. 

I5O9-47.       REIGN    OF    HENRY   VIII. 

I  5  13-2  I.       LEO    POPE. 

I522-23.   HADRIAN  VI.  POPE. 

I523-34.   CLEMENT  VII.  POPE. 

I54O.   JESUIT  ORDER  FOUNDED. 

I547.   COUNCIL  OF  TRENT. 

I558.   ELIZABETH,  QUEEN  OF  ENGLAND. 

A  sufficient  number  of  the  abuses  which  had 
crept  into  the  Church  have  been  named  to  show 
how  greatly  a  reformation  was  needed.  But  it  was 
dangerous  to  men's  comfort  and  safety  to  become 
reformers.  Rome  did  not  want  to  be  reformed. 
Rome  was  powerful  enough  to  seek  to  crush  any 
one  who  attempted  it. 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  IO3 

Then,  too,  it  does  not  always  happen  that  those 
who  project  reforms  are  wise,  prudent  and  patient. 
An  attack  upon  an  existing  abuse  is  often  apt  to 
be  intemperate,  or  to  carry  with  it  the  destruction 
of  some  good  thing  which  ought  never  to  be 
touched. 

Long  before  the  period  of  the  Reformation  there 
had  been  efforts  at  reform.  Some  of  them  were 
wisely  led,  others  were  but  blundering  movements 
in  the  right  direction. 

Wicliffe  in  England  (a.  d.  1350),  Huss  in 
Bohemia,  and  Jerome  of  Prague,  had  denounced 
some  of  the  corruptions  of  Rome,  but  their  move- 
ments were  not  always  of  the  wisest  character. 
Wicliffe,  however,  will  always  be  most  gratefully 
remembered  for  having  given  to  the  English  people 
a  translation  of  the  Bible  in  their  own  language. 
He  is  called  "  the  Morning  Star  of  the  Reforma- 
tion," and  justly  deserves  that  title,  although  some 
of  his  propositions  were  utterly  impracticable. 

The  reading  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  produced 
great  changes,  opening  the  eyes  of  the  people  to 
see  how  erroneous  were  many  of  the  teachings  of 
Rome,  and  preparing  the  way  for  a  return  to  the 
primitive  faith.  But  a  return  to  the  primitive 
faith  involved  danger.  There  had  arisen  certain 
orders  in  the  Roman  Church,  principal  among 
them  the  Dominicans,  who  became  active  agents 
for  discovering  and  punishing  by  torture  and  death 


104  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

those  who  were  bold  enough  to  condemn  the  exist- 
ing corruptions.  The  history  of  the  Inquisition 
makes  sad  reading,  when  we  think  of  its  horrid 
work  as  done  in  the  name  of  the  religion  of  Christ. 
To  be  suspected  of  having  any  sympathy  with  the 
views  of  those  who  were  styled  heretics,  was  suffi- 
cient ground  for  exposure  to  the  savage  proceedings 
of  this  cruel  court. 

The  opening  of  the  fifteenth  century  witnessed 
the  rise  of  Martin  Luther  as  a  reformer,  and  a  good 
Providence  made  him  the  agent  for  carrying  on  the 
mighty  work.  Luther  was  an  Augustinian  monk 
in  Saxony,  and  came  into  conflict  with  Rome  by 
declaiming  against  the  sale  of  indulgences  by  Tetzel, 
the  pope's  agent.  Pope  Leo  was  then  building 
St.  Peter's  Church  in  Rome,  and  needing  money, 
offered  indulgences  to  all  who  would  contribute  to 
this  purpose.  These  indulgences  were  based  upon 
the  fancied  power  of  the  Pope  to  secure  benefits  to 
the  souls  in  purgatory,  although  the  popular  notion 
applied  them  to  permission  to  commit  sin  here. 
Tetzel  hawked  the  Pope's  indulgences  about  from 
place  to  place. 

Luther's  attacks  at  first  were  directed  against  these 
abuses,  but  as  time  went  on  he  was  led  to  declaim 
against  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope,  and  the  other 
errors  which  had  been  introduced.  He  and  his 
followers,  upon  refusing  to  retract  their  expressions, 
were  excommunicated.     They   were  not  silenced, 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  105 

however,  and  the  excitement  grew.  Multitudes  of 
the  people  sided  with  them,  and  they  were  protected 
by  some  of  the  German  rulers.  Eventually  their 
principles  spread  through  a  great  part  of  Germany, 
Denmark,  Norway  and  Sweden. 

In  Switzerland,  Zuinglius  led  the  reformed 
movement.  On  his  death  Calvin  of  Geneva  be- 
came their  leader,  and  his  views  spread  through 
France.  Many  of  the  nobility  favored  them, 
among  whom  was  Henry  the  Fourth,  of  Na- 
varre. Under  the  kingship  of  Charles  the  Ninth 
a  vast  multitude  of  the  French,  who  had  adopted 
the  reformation  principles,  were  massacred,  on  the 
eve  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Day,  a.  d.  1572.  After 
a  long  and  cruel  persecution  they  obtained  tolera- 
tion by  the  edict  of  Nantz,  a.  d.  1598,  which 
remained  in  force  until  a.  d.  1685,  when  Louis 
Fourteenth  revoked  the  edict,  and  they  were  com- 
pelled to  return  to  the  Church  of  Rome  or  leave 
the  country.  They  are  known  in  history  as  the 
Huguenots. 

It  is  sad  that  the  reformers  on  the  Continent  did 
not  carry  with  them  into  their  movement  the  ancient 
form  of  Church  government.  Many  of  them,  per- 
haps nearly  all  of  them,  were  in  favor  of  so  doing, 
but  no  Bishops  of  the  Church  sided  with  them. 
In  after  times,  when  it  was  possible  to  incorporate 
this  feature  of  the  Church  with  the  primitive  doc- 
trines  for  which   they   contended,   they  generally 


106  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

neglected  the  opportunity,  and  thus  have  perpetuat- 
ed a  separation  from  the  organic  body. 

In  Great  Britain  the  reformation  was  more  wisely 
conducted.  The  Church  there  had  existed  from 
the  days  of  the  Apostles.  For  6co  years  it  remained 
independent  of  the  Roman  see,  and  it  was  only 
after  the  Norman  conquest  that  the  papal  jurisdic- 
tion became  thoroughly  established. 

While  there  were  many  efforts  at  reform,  none 
gave  promise  of  success  so  long  as  the  Pope's  power 
was  held.  In  a.  d.  1532,  the  quarrel  of  Henry  the 
Eighth  with  the  Pope,  led  to  the  overthrow  of  the 
power  of  the  latter  in  Great  Britain.  Once  over- 
thrown, that  power  was  impotent  to  check  the  ris- 
ing tide.  Henry  is  not  to  be  credited  as  a  reformer, 
nor  is  he,  as  is  sometimes  urged,  the  founder  of 
the  Church  of  England.  That  Church  was  founded 
ages  before  he  was  born.  God  permitted  his  efforts 
to  secure  a  divorce  from  his  queen  to  be  the  occa- 
sion of  the  downfall  of  the  Pope's  authority  in  Great 
Britain,  and  thus  the  way  to  the  reformation  was 
facilitated.  Almost  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  the 
king,  reform  went  forward  step  by  step.  First  one 
error  was  cast  out  and  then  another,  until,  with  the 
accession  of  Edward  the  Sixth,  a.  d.  1547,  there 
were  made  the  most  sweeping  changes.  Images 
and  relics  were  removed,  the  communion  in  both 
kinds  was  given  to  the  laity — the  clergy  were  per- 
mitted to  marry — and  the  liturgy  was  purified  and 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  107 

set  forth  in  English.  Although,  when  Mary  bocame 
Queen,  a.  d.  1553,  every  effort  was  made  to  restore 
the  Roman  Church  to  power,  it  was  but  for  a  time  ; 
for  when  Elizabeth  succeeded  her,,  the  Church  of 
England  became  fully  established,  and  has  been 
the  Church  of  that  country  and  her  dependencies 
ever  since. 

The  nation  went  with  the  reformation  in  England, 
although  not  all  were  in  favor  of  it.  For  many 
years  the  people  worshipped  in  the  same  churches, 
and  were  taught  by  the  same  pastors.  The  Pope 
was  much  annoyed  at  this,  yet  no  effort  was  made 
to  lead  those  who  were  still  friendly  to  him  from 
the  Church  of  England,  until  a.  d.  1569,  when  a 
bull  was  issued  by  Pius  Fifth,  Bishop  of  Rome,  ex- 
communicating the  queen,  and  absolving  the  people 
from  their  allegiance.  This  bill  caused  the  Romish 
schism  in  England,  for  from  that  time  the  Pope's 
followers  formed  a  party  distinct  from  the  national 
Church.  The  Romanists  had  no  bishops  there, 
however,  until  a.   d.  1685. 

The  great  aim  of  the  English  Reformers  was  not 
to  destroy,  but  to  restore  the  ancient  Church  —  to 
remove  whatever  superstitious  views  and  practices 
nad  been  introduced  —  and  to  adapt  the  Church  to 
the  progress  of  the  times.  The  English  language 
was  substituted  for  the  Latin  in  the  service  books ; 
the  invocation  of  the  saints  and  martyrs  was  omitted; 
and  the  people  were  taught  to  worship  the  Persons 


108  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

of  the  Blessed  Trinity  only  ;  the  Communion  ser* 
vice  became  a  holy  feast  of  joy  and  gladness,  instead 
of  a  superstitious  ceremony  in  which  the  elements 
were  thought  to  be  changed  to  veritable  flesh  and 
blood  ;  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  became  a 
prominent  feature  in  public  services  ;  and  in  every 
particular  they  sought  to  restore  the  Church  to  what 
she  was  before  her  fair  outline  had  been  obscured  , 
by  the  superstitious  fancies  of  men. 

Very  great  were  the  learning,  the  patience  and 
the  courage  of  the  English  Reformers.  Their  work 
was  one  of  extreme  delicacy  and  importance.  It 
was  like  pruning  the  dead  branches  from  a  tree, 
when  extreme  care  must  be  taken  not  to  injure 
whatever  was  good  and  living.  Or,  to  use  another 
figure,  it  was  like  cleansing  an  exquisite  piece  of 
statuary  upon  which  dust  and  soil  and  rubbish  had 
accumulated.  They  wanted  to  preserve  it  entire, 
only  removing  the  extraneous  matter,  and  having  it 
come  out  again  with  the  beauty  it  possessed  when 
it  left  the  sculptor's  hands.  Worthy  then,  of  all 
honor,  is  the  memory  of  the  four  English  martyrs, 
Cranmer,  Ridley,  Latimer  and  Hooper,  and  the 
scores  of  others  who  helped  restore  the  old  Church 
to  what  she  was  before  Romish  superstitions  had 
marred  her  fair  beauty.  And  while  we  record 
gratefully  their  zeal  for  a  pure  faith,  let  us  also 
record  their  reverence  towards  the  bride  of  Christ, 
their  care  lest  in  getting   rid   of  error   they  should 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  IOg 

Injure  one  lineament  of  truth  which  had  been  im- 
pressed by  the  Lord  Himself. 

Thus,  then,  throughout  the  world,  came  the  re- 
action from  the  errors  which  from  time  to  time  had 
crept  into  the  Church.  The  reform  was  accom- 
plished at  the  cost  of  much  suffering.  Many  noble 
lives  fell  before  the  vindictiveness  of  the  Pope's 
followers,  and  the  return  to  the  truths  which  Christ 
taught  has  been  at  a  cost  which  no  one  can  fully 
estimate   to-day. 

Happy  would  it  have  been  could  some  general 
Council  have  been  summoned,  after  the  manner  of 
those  of  the  earliest  ages,  and  the  true  faith  of  the 
Church  been  re-established.  Such  a  measure  was 
again  and  again  proposed,  but  no  Council  could 
be  favored  by  the  Pope  except  such  as  would  give 
his  views  a  preponderating  influence.  Indeed  his 
claims  were  virtually  above  the  jurisdiction  of  any 
Council,  for  he  declared  that  none  should  meet, 
except  such  as  he  himself  might  call.  But  the 
days  of  God  are  long,  and  no  one  knows  what 
there  may  be,  in  the  future,  of  joy  and  peace  to  a 
now  divided  Christendom.  He  may  be  working 
out  some  plans  of  mercy  through  our  present  divi- 
sions, and  when  the  time  is  ripe  it  may  please  Him 
to  draw  all  Christians  into  one  fold. 

Error  cannot   always  live.      The   truth   must 
prevail. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SINCE    THE    REFORMATION. 

COUNCIL   OF   TRENT JESUITS EASTERN   CHURCH  — 

PURITANS CHURCH  OF   ENGLAND  IN  THIS  COUNTRt 

PROTESTANT    RELIGIOUS    SOCIETIES. 

Dates :  a.   d. 

1540.       ZAVIER,    MISSIONARY. 
1572.       MASSACRE  OF  FRENCH  PROTESTANTS. 
1609.       ENGLISH    SETTLE     JAMESTOWN. 
I789.        FRENCH    REVOLUTION. 
I789.       CONSTITUTION     AND    PRAYER      BOOK 
ADOPTED    BY   AMERICAN    CHURCH. 

Italy,  Spain,  Austria,  Poland,  Hungary,  Bohe- 
mia, France,  and  part  of  Germany  and  Switzerland, 
remained  under  the  Papal  jurisdiction  after  the 
Reformation  had  gone  on,  although  in  every  land 
the  Pope's  power  was  shaken.  Two  efforts  were 
made  during  the  Reformation  to  revive  the  decli- 
ning influence  of  the  papacy.  These  were  the 
holding  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  a.  d.  1563,  and 
the  founding  of  the  order  of  the  Jesuits,  a.  d.  1537. 


IN    CHURCH    HISTORY.  Ill 

Although  the  former  was  measurably  of  a  local 
nature,  yet  its  results  showed  the  spirit  of  the  Roman 
power,  and  its  determination  to  cling  to  its  corrup- 
tions, for  that  Council  decided  in  favor  of  the  doc- 
trines of  transubstantiation  and  purgatory ;  and 
approved  of  the  invocation  of  the  saints,  the  celi- 
bacy of  the  clergy,  the  communion  in  one  kind,  &c. 

The  Jesuits'  order  was  formally  recognized  by  a 
bull,  in  a.  d.  1540.  Every  member  took  an  oath 
of  unhesitating  obedience  to  the  pope's  commands. 
They  were  ready  to  do  any  kind  of  service,  however 
degrading,  however  laborious  ;  to  go  anywhere  ;  to 
be  anything,  or  to  do  anything.  They  spread  all 
over  the  world,  sometimes  as  missionaries  to  the 
heathen,  as  teachers  in  schools,  as  members  of  king's 
cabinets,  as  detectives  of  heresy,  as  the  unscrupu- 
lous allies  of  Rome  wherever  her  interests  could  be 
advanced. 

The  order  exists  to-day,  although  the  Jesuits 
have,  at  different  times,  been  driven  out  of  nearly 
every  country  in  Europe.  They  have  influenced 
the  politics  of  kingdoms,  fomented  strifes,  and  in 
many  cases  have  not  scrupled  to  commit  crimes. 

Still  they  exist,  and  wherever  Romanism  is  in  the 
ascendant,  there  they  are  found.  It  is  true  that 
among  them  have  been  numbered  some  of  the  most 
zealous  of  missionaries,  and  some  of  the  most 
learned  of  men,  but  no  religious  order  is  so  unscru- 
pulous in  carrying  forward  its  purposes.     Believing 


112  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

that  the  triumph  of  Rome  is  paramount  to  every 
other  consideration,  they  labor  for  that  one  end. 

It  would  be  a  mistake  to  think  of  every  Jesuit  as 
being  uninfluenced  by  good  motives.  It  would  be 
monstrous,  if  we  had  in  the  world  an  order  of  men 
bearing  the  name  of  Jesus,  who  were  all  given  to 
evil.  Many  of  them  are  better  than  the  principles 
of  their  order,  and  have  shown  and  do  show  their 
love  of  Christ  and  of  men  by  their  holy  deeds. 
The  reeking  dungeon,  the  distant  mission  post,  the 
lazar  house, — the  places  most  prejudicial  to  health 
and  life  are  visited  by  them  in  their  errands  of 
mercy.  Sometimes,  in  view  of  the  noble  lives 
they  live,  and  the  heroic  deeds  they  do,  it  is  hard 
to  remember  the  errors  of  their  belief. 

But  all  the  zeal  and  devotion  and  craft  of  the 
Jesuit  order  have  not  availed  to  recover  the  ground 
lost  by  Rome  at  the  Reformation  ;  and  with  the 
advancing  light  of  later  days,  her  power  has  been 
steadily  waning,  even  though  the  fiery  earnestness 
of  the  Jesuits  has  added  missionary  fields  to  her 
dominion. 

The  separation  of  so  many  reformers  from  the 
Roman  communion  did  not  bring  quiet  to  that 
body,  for  shortly  after  the  Council  of  Trent  there 
began  long  continued  controversies  among  the 
Roman  Catholics  over  such  questions  as  the 
authority  of  popes,  the  immaculate  conception  of 
*.he  Virgin   Mary,  and    the   general   doctrines  o/ 


IN  CHURCH    HISTORY.  II3 

predestination   and    free    will.     The    latter  point, 
finally,   after  many   years  of  discussion,   took  the 
name    of  Jansenism,     after   the   Bishop   of  Ipres, 
named  Jansenius.     His  date  is  about  a.   d.    1640. 
The  views  he  held  are  about  like  such  as  are  usu- 
ally   called   Calvinistic,    involving  a  belief  in   the 
foreordination  of  some  to  life,   and  of  others  to 
damnation,  and  denying  man's  freedom  of  will  in 
turning    from    sin    to  righteousness.     The  great 
opponents  of  the  Jansenists  were  the  Jesuits,  and 
for  many  years  the  war  of  words  went  on  between 
them.     Sometimes,  however,  the  hand  of  the  eccle- 
siastical and  civil  powers  was  laid    heavily    upon 
the  Jansenists.     The  popes  issued  their  bulls  against 
them,  and  sometimes  sought  to  turn  the  bishops 
who  favored  them  from  their  offices,  but  it  was  all 
of  no  avail.     They  lived  on  and  defied  the  power 
of  Rome  for  many  years. 

The  controversies  respecting  the  Pope's  supremacy 
and  the  amount  of  submission  due  to  him,  have 
been  going  on  for  many  years  in  the  Roman 
Church,  and  the  contesting  parties  have  arrayed 
themselves  upon  opposite  sides.  Those  who  have 
taught  openly  and  without  reservation  the  duty  of 
absolute  submission  to  the  Pope  in  all  things,  both 
temporal  and  spiritual,  have  become  known 
as  Ultramontanists.  Their  opponents  have  been 
mainly  German  and  French  Romanists,  although 
opposition    to    ultra-montanism    has    been    found 


114  MANUAL  OF  INSTRUCTION 

among  Romanists  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  It  is 
a  singular  spectacle  to  witness  the  strenuous  efforts 
made  by  the  Pope  and  his  supporters  to  bolster  ud 
the  temporal  dominion  which  has  been  so  rapidlj 
passing  from  him. 

Once  his  word  could  make  and  unmake  a  king ; 
but  to-day  every  part  of  his  territory  has  been 
stripped  from  him,  and  whatever  power  he  yet 
possesses,  is  not  as  that  of  a  prince,  but  as  a  spirit- 
ual ruler. 

Once  at  his  bidding  whole  nations  would  spring 
to  arms  ;  but  his  voice  is  not  listened  to  any  longer 
as  a  leader  in  conquest. 

And  yet,  as  the  temporal  power  of  the  Pope  has 
been  steadily  declining  since  the  Reformation,  the 
Church  of  Rome  has  been  ascribing  to  him  a 
spiritual  dominion  greater  than  was  claimed  even 
in  the  darkest  periods  of  the  middle  ages,  until  at 
last  we  hear  the  almost  blasphemous  declaration 
that  he  is  infallible,  that  what  he  teaches  as  the 
head    of    the    Church  must    be    infallibly   true. 

Of  course  if  one  pope  is  infallible,  then  all 
must  have  been  so ;  and  yet  it  is  only  necessary  to 
read  their  history  to  become  aware  that  what  one 
declared  heresy  another  declared  true,  and  so  on. 
How  can  the  contradictions  be  reconciled  ? 

Not  only,  however,  has  the  doctrine  of  the 
Pope's  infallibility  been  a  product  of  later  times  in 
the  Church  of  Rome,  but  other  errors  unheard  of  in 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  115 

the  early  Ages  of  Christianity  have  been  introduced, 
and  prominently  among  them  is  the  doctrine  of  the 
immaculate  conception  of  the  Virgin  Mary ;  that 
the  Virgin  herself  was  born  into  the  world  abso- 
lutely without  sin,  and  also  that  she  is  entitled  to 
be  called  "the  queen  of  heaven,  "aiding  by  her  pro- 
tection her  favorites  on  earth.  The  name  by  which 
these  grievous  errors  relating  to  the  Virgin  are 
usually  known,  is  Mariolatry. 

But  it  is  an  ungracious  task  to  go  on  thus  point- 
ing out  the  errors  of  a  branch  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  Would  that  there  were  no  errors  to  point 
out !  Much  more  gratifying  is  it  to  look  at  the 
good  things  the  Roman  Church  has  done,  and  the 
patience  and  zeal  of  many  who  are  enrolled  among 
her  members. 

Prominent  upon  her  pages  since  the  Reformation 
is  the  record  of  Francis  Zavier,  a  man  of  most 
sincere  devotion,  and  of  singular  earnestness.  He 
was  born  in  1506,  in  France,  became  a  Jesuit 
in  1537,  went  to  India  in  1540,  and  for  twelve 
years,  in  India,  Ceylon,  China,  and  Japan,  he 
labored  with  a  success  scarcely  seen  since  the  times 
of  the  Apostles.  In  some  places  his  converts  were 
numbered  by  thousands  ;  and  sometimes  so  many 
were  the  candidates  for  baptism  that  he  could 
scarcely  find  the  physical  strength  to  baptize  them. 

Another  noted  name  was  Charles  Borromeo,  the 
Archbishop    of  Milan    (born    1538,   died   1584). 


Il6  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

He  was  a  reformer  within  the  bounds  of  his  own 
diocese.  He  found  it  in  a  disordered  state ;  the 
clergy  were  ignorant  and  unprincipled  ;  and  relig- 
ion was  at  a  low  ebb  indeed.  First  setting  the 
example  of  living  a  life  of  self-denial  and  of  devo- 
tion, he  carried  on  his  reforms  in  his  diocese,  esta- 
blished seminaries  for  educating  the  ignorant  clergy, 
held  conferences,  made  good  laws,  and  enforced 
them.  His  life  was  an  honorable  exception  to  the 
worldliness  and  superstition  that  abounded.  A 
score  of  such  men  as  he  would  have  reformed  the 
whole  Church  of  Rome. 

As  time  went  on,  the  Roman  Church  in  France 
came  in  conflict  with  a  dreadful  enemy  ;  not  only 
hers,  but  the  foe  of  Christianity  itself.  There  grew 
up  to  most  frightful  proportions  a  form  of  infidelity 
which  denied  all  revelation,  and  refused  to  believe 
there  was  a  God.  The  leader  of  this  band  of  unbe- 
lievers was  Voltaire,  but  he  was  assisted  in  the  work 
of  overturning  the  faith  by  many  others,  among 
whom  were  D'Alembert  and  Diderot,  and  the 
authors  of  the  Encyclopedia.  Publications  of  the 
most  impious  character  were  issued,  and  infidelity 
was  openly  taught.  All  the  wit  and  learning  of  the 
day  seemed  to  be  arrayed  on  the  side  of  unbelief. 
Rosseau,  Buffon,  and  many  others,  engaged  in 
scientific  and  literary  pursuits,  joined  hands  in  seek- 
ing to  overthrow  the  Church.  Finally  the  horrid 
principles  which    they    so    vigorously   spread    had 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  Iiy 

their  issue  in  that  awful  reign  of  terror  known  asr 
the  French  Revolution.  Then  it  was  that  blood 
ran  as  water,  and  the  very  foundations  of  society 
were  upheaved.  Plunder,  desolation,  massacre 
and  famine  followed  in  rapid  succession,  and 
Fiance  reaped  the  whirlwind  which  her  infidel 
philosophers  had  sown.  The  monasteries  were  sup- 
pressed, the  clergy  were  either  put  to  death  or 
driven  away,  and  the  very  names  of  religion  and  of 
religious  things  were  discarded. 

It  was  inaugurated  as  a  reign  of  reason,  but  men 
soon  saw  that  it  meant  sorrow  and  death.  Never 
was  there  a  period  of  such  awful  wickedness  and 
violence  as  during  the  years  of  this  carnival  of  crime, 
when  the  restraints  of  religion  were  thrown  off,  and 
men  became  more  like  fiends  than  men.  It  was  a 
sad  day  for  the  Church,  and  although  there  came  a 
reaction,  yet  never  has  France  recovered  from  the 
fearful  effects  of  that  terrible  revolution.  Doubt- 
less a  pure  Church  would  have  prevented  or 
allayed  the  outbreak,  but  the  Church  in  France 
was  not  pure,  and  her  superstitions  were  punished 
with  fearful  retribution. 

It  would  be  a  lorg  story  to  trace  out  fully  the 
history  of  Romanism  in  modern  days,  to  tell  of  the 
introduction  of  new  errors,  to  recount  how,  step  by 
step,  the  temporal  power  of  the  papacy  has  been 
waning,  and  how  desperate  have  been  the  efforts 
to  regain  its  supremacy  orer  the  affairs  of  men  and 


Il8  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

nations  ;  and  to  describe  its  futile  efforts  to  check 
advancing  light  and  civilization. 

We  behold  it,  to-day,  a  corrupt  Church,  sadly 
departed  from  the  simplicity  of  primitive  Christian- 
ity, holding  on  tenaciously  to  old  superstitions, 
and  yet  containing  within  itself  the  outline  of 
the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.  But  the 
period  of  its  reformation  may  be  near  at  hand. 
God  hasten  it  ! 

The  Eastern  Church. — After  the  formal  sepa- 
ration into  Eastern  and  Western  branches,  there  was 
very  little  intercourse  between  the  two  parts,  and 
then  the  Reformation  and  its  exciting  events  con- 
centrated the  attention  of  Western  Christians  mainly 
upon  their  own  affairs.  The  Eastern  division  con- 
tinued almost  unknown  to  us  as  to  its  internal  his- 
tory, until  within  comparatively  late  years,  when  the 
movements  looking  forward  to  a  re-union  of  the 
Churches  have  led  to  a  closer  examination  of  its 
history.  It  exists  in  Russia,  Palestine,  Greece, 
Austria,  and  other  places,  and  numbers  over 
seventy-five  millions  of  members. 

It  has  retained  the  ancient  form  of  Church  gov- 
ernment, and  has  been  preserved  from  some  of  the 
gross  errors  which  have  marred  other  branches,  re- 
maining in  its  faith  and  practice  substantially  as  it 
was  in  the  early  ages. 

The   popular   notions   concerning   the   Eastern 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  1 19 

Church  attribute  to  it  many  superstitious  views  and 
observances  ;  but  as  recent  inquiries  bring  to  us 
more  and  more  information,  it  is  found  to  be  much 
more  free  from  all  such  additions  than  the  Roman 
Church.  Being  an  oriental  Church,  of  course  its 
modes  of  expression  are  much  more  glowing  and 
striking  than  are  usual  in  the  Churches  of  the  West  ; 
and  embracing  within  its  fold  a  very  large  proportion 
of  uneducated  persons,  there  are  superstitious  views 
and  practices  maintained  by  some  which  are  not 
authorized  by  the  authority  of  the  Church  itself. 
Her  highest  authority  has  declared  the  faith  of  the 
Eastern  Church  to  be  "that  which  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, the  Apostolic  tradition,  and  the  Ecumenical 
Councils  of  the  undivided  Church  have  defined  for 
us." 

Important  movements  are  now  progressing  on  the 
part  of  the  Anglican  and  American  Churches  to 
secure  more  thorough  information  respecting  the 
principles  of  the  Eastern  Church,  with  the  view  of 
bringing  about,  if  possible,  some  re-union.  The 
movements  to  this  end  are  watched  with  great 
interest,  because  of  their  bringing  to  light  the  actual 
condition  and  the  internal  affairs  of  a  great  branch 
of  the  Church  of  Christ,  which  has  for  so  many 
years  been,  as  it  were,  locked  up  from  the  gaze  of 
Western  Christians. 

The    Church    of    England.  —  It   took    man/ 


120  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION" 

years  to  establish  firmly  the  reformed  Church 
of  England  in  that  country ;  for  no  sooner  had  it 
been  reformed,  than  a  new  set  of  foes  arose,  who 
became  known  as  Puritans.  They  were  the  ob- 
jectors to  many  of  the  points  of  the  ancient  faith 
which  the  wisdom  and  piety  of  the  English  reformers 
led  them  to  retain. 

The  Puritan  sympathies  were  rather  with  the 
views  of  the  Lutherans  and  other  continental  re- 
formers than  with  those  of  the  Churchmen,  and  for 
years  they  ceased  not  to  cavil,  and  to  disturb  the 
peace  of  the  Church. 

By  degrees  many  of  them  separated  from  her 
communion,  and  calling  themselves  by  different 
names,  'professed  to  maintain  the  truth  in  greater 
purity.  Their  opportunity  to  overthrow  the  Church 
seemed  to  come  with  their  rebellion  against  Charles 
the  First.  Hatred  to  bishops,  liturgies,  the  sign 
of  the  cross,  etc. ,  culminated  then,  and  for  awhile 
they  had  full  sway ;  but  when  Cromwell  died,  the 
Church  was  re-established,  and  has  been  the 
national  Church  ever  since. 

The  English  people  throughout  the  world  are 
indebted,  perhaps  more  than  many  of  them  realize, 
to  the  Church  of  England,  both  for  the  preservation 
of  a  pure  faith  in  the  world,  and  for  the  results  of 
magnificent  learning  and  courage  which  have  carried 
blessings  to  all  parts  of  the  earth. 

Becoming  a  great  commercial  nation,  England 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  121 

has  also  had  opportunity  to  become  a  great  mis' 
sionary  nation,  and  has  been  the  agent  for  carrying 
the  Gospel  to  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe.  India, 
Africa,  America,  Australia  and  the  islands  of  the 
seas  have  become  the  scene  of  her  missionary 
enterprises.  Her  missionary  bishops  and  clergy 
have  rivalled  the  heroism  of  the  primitive  heralds 
of  the  faith,  and  millions  of  the  heathen  have  had 
opportunity  to  know  of  Christ  and  His  salvation 
through  the  zeal  of  this  Church.  Her  history  at 
home  has  ever  been  an  eventful  one,  and  has  had 
its  periods  of  agitation. 

A  strange  coldness  seemed  to  benumb  hei 
members  in  the  period  about  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Her  grand  services  were  render- 
ed in  a  perfunctory  manner,  and  the  glow  of  enthusi- 
asm was  exchanged  for  mere  formalism.  Of  course 
there  were  exceptions.  Not  all,  and  it  may  be  not 
a  large  proportion  were  under  the  spell  of  indiffer- 
ence, but  it  was  sad  indeed  that  a  Church  with 
such  a  noble  history,  going  back  to  apostolic  days, 
should  ever  lose  her   power   and   should  slumber. 

Some  young  students  at  Oxford,  desiring  to  culti- 
vate among  themselves  a  more  earnest  piety  than  they 
found  prevailing,  met  together  frequently  to  encour- 
age each  other  in  fervor  of  devotion  and  in  holiness 
of  life.  The  result  was  a  great  awakening,  led 
by  the  Wesleys  and  others.  These  men  never 
intended  and  never  labored  to  promote  any  separa- 


122  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

tion  from  the  established  Church.  The  object  of 
3.11  their  efforts  was  to  infuse  new  warmth  and 
earnestness,  and  to  reach  the  great  masses  of  the 
people  v;ho  were  ignorant  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  to 
be  ever  lamented  that  their  work  was  needed,  and 
that  their  followers  have  cut  loose  from  the  Church 
to  which  these  men  were  so  strongly  attached. 
The  movement  inaugurated  by  the  Wesleys  would 
hardly  have  taken  place,  had  the  Church  been  as 
warmly  in  earnest  as  she  is  to-day.  The  date  of 
the  rise  of  Methodism  is  1739. 

Another  movement,  also  beginning  at  Oxford, 
about  1833,  and  having  at  once,  and  through  all 
the  years  since,  a  great  influence  upon  the  English 
Church,  is  known  as  the  Tractarian  movement. 
Certain  professors  at  Oxford,  among  them  Drs. 
Pusey  and  Newman,  and  others  well  known  through- 
out England,  united  in  publishing  a  number  of 
tracts  upon  topics  connected  with  the  faith  and 
practice  of  the  Church.  Their  object,  they  declared, 
was  to  show  that  the  Church  of  England  was  op- 
posed equally  to  the  views  of  the  Papacy  and  to 
those  of  the  ultra-Protestants.  They  labored  partic- 
ularly to  interpret  the  thirty-nine  Articles  in  such 
a  way  that  they  would  lose  their  distinctively  Pro- 
testant character,  and,  as  was  said,  be  more  in 
accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  primitive  ages. 

These  tracts  excited  great  commotion,   and  led 
to  controversies  and  trials.     Many  of  the  Bishops 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  123 

and  other  clergy  condemned  them  as  favoring 
Romanism,  and  the  leaders  of  the  Tractarian 
movement  were  expelled  from  their  positions  in 
the  University.  In  the  midst  of  the  excitement, 
Dr.  Newman  and  some  others,  clerical  and 
lay,  left  the  Church  of  England  and  entered  the 
Church  of  Rome.  It  was  a  time  of  great  sadness, 
and  almost  of  terror.  But  with  the  passage  of 
years  there  has  come  the  calmness  necessary  to 
examine  the  views  of  both  sides  in  the  controversv, 
and  the  result  has  been  not  the  unsettling  of  the 
English  Church  from  her  position  as  protesting 
against  all  superstitions  and  errors,  but  a  more 
careful  attention  to  the  principles  which  connect 
her  with  the  apostolic  ages.  A  controversy,  which 
at  one  time  was  so  bitter  and  so  alarming,  has  led 
to  the  increase  of  zeal  and  devotion,  and  to  the 
strengthening  of  the  position  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land as  a  pure  branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Partly  growing  up  from  the  Tractarian  move- 
ment, and  partly  starting  forth  as  a  new  thing, 
is  what  is  popularly  called  the  Ritualistic  move- 
ment of  to-day.  It  is  difficult  to  define  it  in 
few  words,  for  it  relates  both  to  modes  of 
worship  and  to  points  of  belief,  and  it  is  some- 
times difficult  to  separate  what  is  objectionable 
from  what  is  allowable.  There  has  been  a  growing 
desire  on  the  part  of  very  many  to  improve  the 
character  of  the  services  of  the  Church,  and  to  lend 


124  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

impressiveness  and  beauty  to  them  by  the  intro> 
duction  of  more  music,  and  by  the  greater  adorn- 
ment of  the  places  where  services  are  held.  But 
with  all  this  there  has  been  the  gradual  introduc- 
tion, by  some,  of  practices  which  are  either  not 
recognized  as  part  of  the  usa^e  of  the  Church,  or 
else  have  been  long  since  abandoned  in  the  Refor- 
mation movement. 

While  the  object  of  some  has  been  simply  to 
enrich  public  worship,  to  reach  the  poor,  to  inspire 
greater  fervor,  the  object  of  others  has  been  to  sym- 
bolize doctrinal  views  which  have  not  been  set 
forth  in  the  standards  of  the  Church,  but  which,* 
they  claim,  have  been  held  as  allowable  opinions 
by  many. 

The  central  point  around  which  there  is  most 
controversy  is  known  as  the  doctrine  of  Eucharistic 
Adoration,  or  the  worship  of  Christ  present  in  the 
Holy  Communion.  How  is  He  present  ?  has  been 
the  question  discussed,  and  while  all  agree  that  to 
the  soul  of  the  faithful  communicant  there  is  a 
spiritual  presence  of  the  Lord  particularly  gracious, 
some  contend  that  there  is  a  presence  locally 
upon  the  altar  and  in  the  elements.  Others  state 
it  less  definitely  as  a  presence  in  the  sacrament. 
The  controversy  has  led  those  engaged  in  it  to  draw 
very  delicate  lines  of  distinction,  and  to  make  defi- 
nitions which  are  not  readily  grasped  bv  the  popular 
mind. 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  12  5 

Along  with  the  discussion  of  Ritualism  has  been 
another  controversy  of  a  different  character,  namely, 
the  question  of  Rationalism.  Briefly  stated,  Ration- 
alism is  an  effort  of  human  reason  to  eliminate  all 
mysteries  from  Christianity,  and  its  aim  is.  to  receive 
nothing  which  it  cannot  explain.  Of  course  it 
varies  in  degree,  and  in  kind.  It  had  its  origin  in 
Germany,  and  made  its  public  appearance  in 
essays,  and  sketches  of  the  Life  of  Christ,  in  which 
His  proper  Divinity  and  His  Divine  Work  were 
discredited.  The  pernicious  views  spread  elsewhere, 
and  sometimes  it  seemed  that  no  part  of  God's  re- 
velation to  man  would  escape  the  attacks  of  infidel- 
ity, for  infidelity  it  really  was,  although  many  dis- 
claim the  name  of  unbelievers. 

These  attacks  have  made  it  necessary  to  go  all 
over  again  the  defences  of  the  inspiration  of  the 
Scriptures,  the.  Divinity  of  Christ,  the  credibility  of 
miracles,  man's  need  of  supernatural  grace,  and 
the  immortality  of  man. 

Rationalism,  of  course,  has  had  its  various 
phases,  sometimes  attacking  single  points  of  the 
faith,  and  then  again  attacking  every  principle  of 
Christianity,  and  stigmatizing  our  most  cherished 
beliefs  as  but  phases  of  superstition.  It  has  been 
closely  allied  with  Materialism,  an  outgrowth  partly 
of  unbalanced  scientific  research,  which  in  the  study 
of  nature  has  too  often  forgotten  the  God  of  nature. 
While  there  is  really  no  conflict  between  true  science 


126  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

and  revelation,  properly  understood,  many  crude 
theories  are  hastily  adopted,  and  to  untrained 
minds  there  has  seemed  to  be  reason  for  doubting 
the  truths  of  Christianity.  The  leaven  of  unbelief 
has  steadily  penetrated  large  classes,  and  it  has 
called  forth  the  mighty  energies  of  the  Church  to 
counteract  the  mischievous  efforts  of  perverted  sci- 
entific progress,  to  show  that  the  God  of  revelation 
and  the  God  of  Nature  are  one  ;  that  the  Bible  and 
the  Book  of  Nature  are  from  the  same  Author,  and 
hence  there  must  be  agreement,  even  though  in 
all  cases  our  present  light  does  not  enable  us  to 
point  it  out  fully. 

While,  however,  no  part  of  the  ancient  faith  has 
been  surrendered  through  the  assaults  of  the  Ration- 
alists and  the  Materialists,  advancing  scholarship 
and  scientific  research  have  modified,  in  some  re- 
spects, many  notions  which  have  been  held  as  to  the 
teachings  of  revelation, — notably  among  these  the 
periods  of  creation  and  the  age  of  the  earth. 

It  is  almost  unnecessary  to  add  that  these  contro- 
versies, which  have  agitated  the  English  Church, 
have  also  agitated  the  American  Church,  and  have 
called  forth  the  same  or  similar  earnestness. 

The  Episcopal  Church  in  America. —  The 
Church  of  England  was  first  established  on  the 
American  shores  in  1609,  at  Jamestown,  in  Vir- 
ginia.    The  colonists  obtained  grants  of  land  for 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  1 27 

building  up  new  settlements,  and  one  of  their 
avowed  objects  was  the  extension  of  the  Christian 
faith  among  the  Indians.  In  the  New  England 
colonies  the  planting  of  the  Church  of  England  was 
attended  with  many  difficulties,  owing  to  the  un- 
friendly aspect  of  the  Puritans.,  who  were  in  the 
ascendancy  there.  In  the  southern  colonies  much 
greater  success  attended  its  establishment. 

A  very  serious  difficulty  which  the  colonists  had 
to  contend  against  was  the  lack  of  the  Episco- 
pate. Many  requests  were  made  to  the  mother 
Church  to  have  Bishops  sent  here,  but  they  were 
not  complied  with  for  a  long  while.  Candidates  for 
holy  orders,  and  for  confirmation,  were  compelled 
to  make  the  voyage  to  England,  which  was  attend- 
ed with  great  inconvenience  and  expense. 

When  the  revolution  ended,  decided  measures 
were  taken  to  adapt  the  Church  here  to  the  changed 
condition  of  political  affairs,  and  to  set  it  up  as  an 
independent  organization. 

The  first  Bishop  was  Samuel  Seabury  of  Connec- 
ticut, consecrated  by  the  Scotch  Bishops  in  Aber- 
deen, a.  d.  1784. 

Subsequently,  William  White,  and  Samuel  Pro- 
voost  were  consecrated  in  Lambeth,  England,  foi 
the  dioceses  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York. 

The  Prayer  Book,  as  now  used  here,  was  set 
forth  in  a.  d.  1789.  The  American  branch  of  the 
Church  has  gone  on  increasing  steadily  in  numbers 


128  MANUAL   OF  INSTRUCTION 

and  importance   until  now,   a.  d.   1876,  it  has  60 
Bishops  and  about  3,290  other  clergymen. 

The  history  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  this 
country  divides  itself  into  three  periods,  which  are 
very  clearly  marked. 

First,  Its  colonial  period,  when  it  was  a  part  of 
the  Church  of  England,  and  fostered  by  her  care. 
This  period  ran  from  1609  to  1789. 

Second,  Its  period  of  recovery  from  the  disinte- 
gration occasioned  by  the  revolution,  lasting  from 
1789  to  about  1820.  Being  a  part  of  the  English 
Church,  bearing  her  name,  and  her  clergy  being  by 
their  oaths  bound  to  the  throne  of  Great  Britain, 
it  seemed  at  one  time  as  if  the  revolt  of  the  colo- 
nies from  the  rule  of  the  mother  country  would 
utterly  annihilate  this  Church.  Many  of  her  par- 
ishes were  without  services,  and  the  most  bitter 
hatred  was  manifested  towards  an  organization 
which  was  thought  to  be  utterly  incompatible  with 
a  republican  government ;  but  perhaps  to  none 
more  than  to  her  members,  is  the  credit  due,  both 
for  the  successful  carrying  on  of  the  revolution,  and 
for  the  establishment  of  a  government  such  as 
this  land  now  rejoices  in. 

The  taking  command  of  the  American  forces  by 
Washington,  a  devout  Churchman,  gave  at  once 
a  national  character  to  a  movement  which  might 
otherwise  have  been  a  mere  sectional  struggle  against 
English  rule.      And  it  is  a  singular  fact,  but  show- 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  1 29 

ing  the  influence_of  Churchmen  in  the  moulding 
of  the  civil  government,  that  the  outline  of  that 
government  and  the  outline  of  that  they  provided 
for  their  Church,  are  alike  in  all  essential  points. 

But  it  took  years  for  the  Church  to  recuperate. 
Her  valuable  lands  in  some  sections  were  forfeited, 
and  there  was  but  the  most  inadequate  supply  of 
clergymen  to  carry  out  her  work.  For  nearly  forty 
years  she  was  weak,  although  gradually  her  strength 
was  given  her. 

Third.  The  third  period  came  with  the  infusion 
of  a  zeal  for  missions.  At  first,  but  little  was 
attempted.  There  was,  however,  the  stir  of  re- 
newed life,  and  the  waking  up  to  greater  zeal. 
Finally,  in  182 1,  the  Missionary  Society  was  formed, 
and  from  the  date  of  its  formation  God's  blessing 
has  been  more  and  more  richly  given  this  branch 
of  His  Church. 

Missions  to  the  West,  and  South,  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  to  Africa,  China  and  Japan,  and  to  the  Indians, 
have  been  projected,  and  to-day  a  great  multitude 
has  been  gathered  into  the  fold  of  Christ.  Among 
the  names  of  the  pioneers  of  the  American  Church 
are  those  of  Bishops  Chase  and  Kemper,  who 
went  to  the  West,  and  that  of  Bishop  Scott,  who 
went  to  the  extreme  North-western  section  of  our 
country.  They  were  pioneers  indeed,  holding 
their  services  and  preaching  the  Gospel  in  the  log 
cabins  of  the  settlers  before  some  of  the  great  cities 


130  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

which  now  have  their  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
people,  were  more  than  villages,  if  indeed  they 
existed  in  any  shape  at  all.  Among  the  laborers 
in  the  foreign  field  were  Bishops  Payne  and  Boone, 
the  former  spending  over  twenty  years  in  Africa, 
and  the  latter  a  shorter,  but  none  the  less  useful 
period  in  China.  Both  of  them  were  men  of 
singular  devotion,  and  their  works  do  follow  them. 
The  pages  of  the  history  of  the  American 
Church  contain  many  a  bright  record  made  by 
the  noble  deeds  of  her  children.  We  are  stand- 
ing too  near  what  they  did  to  appreciate  their 
struggles,  but  the  day  will  come  when  the  names 
of  faithful  Bishops,  zealous  clergymen,  and 
saintly  men  will  shine  out  with  clearness,  and  we 
will  read  the  story  of  their  lives  to  feel  that  they 
prove  apostolic  descent  by  apostolic  deeds. 

Of  the  religious  bodies  which  have  sprung  up 
since  the  Reformation,  and  which  have  discarded  the 
primitive  form  of  Church  government,  the  leading 
ones  to-day  in  this  country  are  the  Congregation- 
alists,  the  Baptists,  the  Presbyterians,  the  Metho- 
dists, the  Unitarians,  the  Lutherans  and  the  Quakers. 
There  are  many  others,  indeed  the  list  is  very  large, 
for  one  result  of  the  reaction  from  the  former  condi- 
tion of  things  has  been  to  encourage  the  formation 
of  independent  organizations. 

The    Congregationalists,    once  called    Indepen- 
Q 


IN    CHURCH    HISTORY.  13: 

dents,  had  their  rise  in  England,  about  a.  l>.  1580. 
Their  leading  principle  is  a  government  of  each 
separate  congregation  by  the  voice  of  its  own 
members,  Each  has  no  necessary  connection 
with  other  congregations,  and  recognizes  no  or- 
ganic union  as  needed.  The  form  of  faith, 
modes  of  worship,  and  style  of  government  are 
regulated  by  the  congregation. 

The  popular  names  by  which  they  were  known 
here  are  Pilgrims,  and  Puritans.  To-day,  however, 
in  most  parts  of  the  country  they  are  called  Con- 
gregationalists,  and  have  greatly  changed  from  the 
views  of  their  ancestors. 

The  Presbyterians  trace  their  origin  to  John 
Calvin,  a.  d.  1520,  and  hold  the  system  of  doc- 
trines promulged  by  him,  and  popularly  known 
as  Calvinism.  There  was  not  a  clear  distinction 
between  this  body  and  the  Congregationalists  in 
England,  or  in  this  country  in  early  times, 
although,  in  later  days,  the  distinction  has  been 
made  more  marked. 

The  views  of  the  Presbyterians  include  very  posi- 
tive declarations  respecting  the  utter  depravity  of 
man,  and  the  election  of  those  who  shall  be  saved. 
They  refuse  to  accept  Episcopacy  as  the  primitive 
form  of  Church  order. 

The  Methodists  have  a  doctrinal  system  very 
different  from  the  Presbyterians,  and  follow,  in  the 
main,  the  system  of  A\rminius,  known  as  Armini- 


132  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

anism.  They  originated  in  England,  a.  d.  1739, 
under  the  leadership  of  John  Wesley.  The  origi- 
nal movement  was  simply  an  organization  within 
the  Church  of  England,  to  promote  deeper  piety, 
and  to  evangelize  the  world.  Contrary  to  the 
most  urgent  appeals  of  Wesley,  his  followers  sepa- 
rated from  the  Church,  and  formed  themselves 
into  a  distinct  society. 

The  Baptists,  once  called  Anabaptists,  began  in 
Germany  in  a.  d.  1523.  Their  views  were  in- 
troduced into  England  a.  d.  1608;  into  this 
country  by  Roger  Williams,  a.  d.    1638. 

Their  peculiar  tenet  is  a  belief  in  the  necessity 
of  baptism  by  immersion  ;  their  doctrinal  system  in 
the  main  resembles  that  of  the  Methodists. 

The  Lutherans  were  the  followers  of  Martin 
Luther  in  the  Reformation.  Their  adherents  now 
are  mostly  of  German  origin.  The  doctrinal 
system  of  the  body  varies  very  greatly. 

The  Unitarians. — The  old  names  for  those  who 
held  Unitarian  ism  were  Arians  and  Socinians  ;  the 
particular  point  being  a  denial  of  the  true  divinity 
of  the  Saviour.  Much  of  Unitarianism  in  this 
country  is  a  rebound  from  the  stern  Calvinistic 
or  Puritan  views  once  held. 

The  Quakers  began  in  England,  a.  d.  164  4-. 
They  were  originally  called  "The  Society  of 
Friends,"  and  so  style  themselves  now.  Their 
principal  tenets  are  the  disuse  of  the  sacraments, 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  1 33 

and  a  belief  in  an  inner  illumination  by  the  Spirit, 
which  they  claim  supercedes  the  employment  of 
external  aids. 

There  are  many  other  religious  societies  besides 
those  above  descrihed,  and  they  abound  largely  in 
this  country. 

The  position  of  this  country  is  peculiar.  My- 
riads from  all  portions  of  the  old  world  having" 
flocked  here,  bringing  with  them  their  peculiar  re- 
ligious beliefs,  and  encouragement  having  been 
given  to  the  holding  of  opinions  freely,  we  behold  a 
country  in  which  nearly  every  form  of  faith  is  held, 
from  the  most  orthodox  beliefs  down  to  those  which 
can  in  any  sense  barely  be  called  Christian.  We 
behold,  also,  great  zeal  in  propagating  opinions, 
and  even  the  smallest  societies  are  active  in  adding  to 
their  adherents,  and  building  up  their  strength.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  form  any  estimate  of  the 
amount  of  money  expended  year  by  year  in  main- 
taining religious  worship  and  in  sustaining  these 
different  forms  of  Christianity.  It  would  be  infi- 
nitely more  difficult,  too,  to  forecast  the  happy  re- 
sults which  would  flow  to  this  land  if  there  were, 
instead  of  these  disunited  efforts,  a  union  of  all 
those  who  bear  the  name  of  Christ,  and  a  concen- 
tration of  their  zeal  and  their  efforts  against  irre« 
ligion  and  vice. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 
THE  CHRISTIAN  WORLD  AS  IT  IS  TO-DAY. 

DIVISION — POINTS    OF   AGREEMENT — POSITION    OF    THE 

EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

Our  studies  in  Church  History,  thus  far,  have 
prepared  us  to  look  over  the  world,  and  to  see 
the  followers  of  Christ  divided  into  many  divisions, 
and  calling  themselves  by  various  names.  It 
would  be  a  much  more  agreeable  survey  if  we 
could  behold  a  solid,  united  Church,  steadily 
progressing,  and  preparing  the  way  for  the  coming 
of  the  Lord.  But  we  must  not  forget  that  we  are 
living  only  in  one  stage  of  the  Church's  history. 
There  may  be  brighter  chapters  by  and  bye. 
Already,  indeed,  the  yearning  for  unity  has  taken 
strong  hold  of  Christians  of  every  name.  It  may 
please  God,  in  times  which  are  to  come,  to  bring 
the  dismembered  fragments  of  Christendom  into 
greater  harmony,  to  the  glory  of  His  holy  name.  > 

There  are  some  considerations  which  will  tend 
to  make  this  subdivision  of  the  followers  of  Christ 
appear  less  startling. 


CHURCH   HISTORY.  135 

We  must  remember  that  the  names  of  the  parts 
of  the  Church  in  the  primitive  ages  did  not  indicate 
real  divisions  of  the  Church,  but  were  simply  in- 
tended  to  designate  the  parts  of  the  same  body 
existing  in  different  localities.    Thus  the  Church 
at  Laodicea  was  a  portion  of  the  same  organization 
as  the  Church  at   Ephesus,    and   the  Church  at 
Ephesus  was  the  same  as  the  Church  at  Corinth. 
In  course    of  time  these  local  names  became 
more  numerous,  as  Christianity  spread   to  other 
places.      Thus  we  hear  of  the  Gallican   Church 
existing  in  Gaul,  or  ancient  France  ;  the  Bntish 
Church  in  England  and  Wales,  and   the  African 

Church  in  Africa. 

These  were  not  all  disconnected   bodies     but 
were    the  local    subdivisions   of  the  same  body 
Upon  great  occasions  they  met  together  m  General 
Councils,  and  there  were  interchanges  of  fellow- 
ship.    At  the  present  day,  in  some  countries  there 
are   national  Churches,  protected  by  the    aws  of 
the  land.,  and  supported  in  part  or  entirely  from 
the  public  funds.     Thus,  in  Russia     the  Greek 
Church  is  the  religion  of  the  land.      In  England 
the  Anglican  Church  holds  the  same  position. 

Mere  local  names,  then,  or  the  adoption  of  a 
branch  of  the  Church  by  a  particular  nation, 
do  not  of  themselves  indicate  any  real  severance 
of  the  Body  of  Christ. 

t.  The  fust  formal  division  of  the  Church  was 


I36  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

made  about  a.  d.  1054,  when  there  came  to  be 
an  Eastern  and  a  Western  portion.  The  causes 
of  this  division  were  various,  but  prominent 
among  them  were  the  controversy  respecting  the 
time  of  keeping  Easter,  and  the  insertion  of  an 
article  in  the  Nicene  Creed  by  the  Western 
portion.  The  Eastern  Church  comprised  that 
part  of  the  Christian  body,  existing  mainly  in 
Asia;  and  the  Western,  that  in  Europe.  These 
parts  are  sometimes  spoken  of  as  the  Greek 
Church  and  the  Latin  Church. 

3.  The  next  division  was  made  at  the  time  of 
the  Reformation,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  when 
the  Western  Church  was  divided  in  Great  Britain, 
that  part  which  clung  to  the  primitive  faith  be- 
coming the  Church  of  England,  and  the  part 
which  had  grown  corrupt  by  the  addition  of  false 
doctrines  and  practices  becoming  known  as  the 
Roman  Church.  At  the  same  time-,  in  Europe, 
that  is  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  a  great 
number  left  the  ranks  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and 
became  known  by  different  names.  In  Germany, 
Lutherans.  In  France,  Calvinists.  In  Switzer- 
land, Hussites. 

Most  of  the  other  separations  from  the  Church, 
now  bearing  different  titles,  had  their  origin  subse- 
quent to  the  Reformation. 

4.  The  last  great  division  has  taken  place  in  our 
day.     The  Roman  Church,   having   added    many 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  1 37 

ioctrines,  which  are  not  taught  in  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures, and  which  were  unknown  in  the  purest  ages 
of  the  Church,  has  at  last  been  the  means  of  occa- 
sioning another  division.  Those  who  are  seeking 
to  restore  the  Church  of  Rome  to  what  she  was  in 
purer  days,  call  themselves  Old  Catholics,  and 
claim  that  they  are  the  true  representatives  of  that 
Church  before  it  became  corrupt  by  the  addition 
of  errors. 

Wherein  the  Divisions  agree. — It  would  be 
fearful,  indeed,  if  all  of  these  divisions  exhibited 
opposite  views  of  Christianity  ;  and  if  we  could  not 
discover  any  points  of  agreement  between  the  vari- 
ous fragments  of  Christendom.  A  little  examina- 
tion, however,  will  show  that  there  is  much  which 
is  held  in  common  by  most  of  these  bodies. 

First,  The  Greek,  the  Roman,  the  Anglican,  the 
Episcopal  and  Old  Catholic  Churches  adopt  and 
approve  equally  the  Apostles'  Creed.  The  Nicene 
Creed,  with  the  exception  of  two  words,  is  retained 
by  all,  so  that  the  outline  of  the  Christian  faith, 
as  expressed  in  these  symbols,  adopted  in  the  earli- 
est centuries  of  the  Church,  is  still  maintained. 

These  bodies,  also,  agree  in  the  form  of  Church 
government,  by  a  ministry  of  three  orders,  and  in 
ihe  use  of  liturgical  worship. 

Second,  Some  of  the  Protestant  bodies,  in  this 
and  other  lands,  are  in  substantial  agreement  with 


I38  MANUAL   OF  INSTRUCTION 

those  above  named  in  holding  the  Apostles'  Creed, 
but  reject  the  primitive  form  of  government  of  the 
Church,  by  a  ministry  of  three  orders  :  and  also 
reject  liturgical  worship,  the  rite  of  confirmation, 
etc. 

Thirds  The  difference  between  the  great  divisions 
of  the  Church  in  which  the  primitive  doctrines, 
usages,  and  discipline  have  been  retained,  consists 
mainly  in  the  additions  which  have  been  made  in 
later  ages. 

Regarding,  as  we  must,  the  Anglican  and  Amer- 
ican branches  of  the  Church  as  conforming  more 
closely  than  any  others  to  the  Church  of  apostolic 
times,  we  find,  upon  comparing  the  Greek  Church 
with  them,  that  it  differs  from  them  in  ritual,  and 
in  some  views  of  doctrine.  It  is  found,  however, 
that  as  the  principles  of  the  Greek  Church  are 
understood,  they  are  much  purer,  more  correct, 
and  with  less  additions  and  distortions  of  the  primi- 
tive faith  than  is  the  case  in  the  Roman  Church, 
which  has  introduced  such  errors  as  the  worship  of 
the  Virgin  ;  the  invocation  of  the  saints  ;  Purgatory, 
the  immaculate  conception,  Papal  infallibility,  etc. 

The  Old  Catholic  movement  of  the  present  day 
is  one  of  the  greatest  importance,  for  its  aim  is  to 
do  away  with  whatever  has  been  added  to  the  prim- 
itive faith  by  the  superstition  o(  later  ages. 


IN   CHURCH   HISTORY.  1 39 

The  Position  of  the  Episcopal  Church. — One 
good  result  of  the  study  of  Church  history  is  to 
enable  us  to  see  what  reasons  we  have  for  thinking 
so  highly  as  we  do  of  that  branch  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  known  here  as  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church. 

First,  It  has  a  history  which  reaches  back  to  the 
very  first  permanent  English  settlement  made  in 
this  country,  and  then  back  through  the  Church 
in  England  to  the  days  when  Apostles  or  Apostolic 
men  came  to  Britain  with  the  message  of  salvation. 

Second,  It  retains  a  mode  of  government  which 
is  the  same  as  that  which  existed  in  the  very 
first  ages  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Third,  It  has  a  liturgy  which  preserves  among  us 
the  precious  truths  relating  to  Christ  and  His  sal- 
vation ;  and  which  tends  to  cultivate  fervent,  prac- 
tical piety. 

Fourth,  It  seems  to  have  in  it  those  elements 
which  may  prove  to  be  connecting  bonds  to  unite 
together  in  a  loving,  living  union  those  who 
love  and  serve  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

At  this  day  this  branch  of  the  Church  is  greatly 
outnumbered  by  many  bodies  of  Christians,  and 
these  surrounding  religious  bodies  are  in  our  day 
so  active  and  so  numerous,  that  as  we  look  upon 
them  there  arises  admiration  of  the  zeal  with  which 
they  carry  religion  to  mankind,  and  make  known 
the  blessed  Christ  as  the  Saviour  of  sinners. 


I40  MANUAL   OF   INSTRUCTION 

At  the  present  time  they  so  greatly  outnumber 
the  Episcopal  Church  of  this  country,  that  it  appears 
as  a  very  small  body  by  the  side  of  them.  Their 
numerical  greatness  and  success  lead  some  to  think 
less  highly  of  the  distinctive  features  of  this 
Church,  and  to  question  whether  there  can  be 
defects  in  those  zealous  bodies  which  are  doing  so 
much  good  and  increasing  so  fast,  and  whether 
any  system  really  is  superior  to  theirs. 

The  piety  and  sincerity  of  their  members  are  too 
distinctly  marked  to  allow  us  to  doubt  that  they  seek 
to  render  themselves  approved  unto  God.  And  then, 
too,  we  must  remember,  that  the  generation  which 
we  see  so  active  did  not  originate  the  societies  of 
which  they  are  members.  As  Christian  men,  they  are 
doing  the  work  of  Christ  as  they  found  the  oppor- 
tunity before  them.  It  is  a  notable  fact,  however, 
that  as  intelligence  advances,  and  many  of  them 
read  and  study,  and  reflect  upon  the  history  of  the 
eighteen  centuries  past,  they  are  convinced  that  this 
Church  is  in  accordance  with  the  primitive  Church, 
and  they  seek  membership  in  it. 

While  we  have  nothing  to  do  with  determining 
the  responsibility  of  those  who  are  separated  by 
outward  arrangements  from  the  Church  which  has 
descended  to  us  from  the  apostles'  days,  we  have 
reason  to  be  thankful  that  our  lot  has  been  cast  in 
it ;  for  it  is  the  divinely  commissioned  witness 
and    keeper    "of  the  faith  once  delivered  to    the 


IN  CHURCH   HISTORY.  ,  141 

saints."  It  was  not  begotten  at  the  time  of  tho 
Reformation,  but  was  founded  by  those  whom 
Christ  sent  into  the  world  as  His  apostles ;  and 
founded,  too,  as  we  think,  after  the  pattern  re- 
ceived from  Him.  Our  duty,  as  its  members,  is 
to  transmit  the  faith  to  others  as  we  have  received 
it.  Nor  dare  we  change  it  in  one  essential  feature. 
We  are  to  regard  ourselves  as  custodians  from 
whom  future  generations  are  to  receive  it  in  its 
purity  and  entirety.  We  are  to  hand  it  down  to 
others  without  corruption  or  mutilation.  We  are 
not  to  be  troubled  by  reason  of  the  comparative 
smallness  of  our  numbers  now,  for  the  time  must 
come  when  there  will  be  a  return  to  the  old  ways, 
and  a  desire  on  the  part  of  all  Christians  to  know 
the  old  landmarks.  Let  us  ever  offer  with  great 
fervency  the  supplication  :  "We  pray  for  Thy  holy 
Church  universal ;  that  it  may  be  so  guided  and 
governed  by  Thy  Good  Spirit,  that  all  who  profess 
and  call  themselves  Christians  may  be  led  into 
the  way  of  truth,  and  hold  the  faith  in  unity  of 
spirit,  in  the  bond  of  peace,  and  in  righteousness 
of  life." 


ON    THE    STUDY   OF    CHURCH   HISTORr 

BY  CLASSES. 

There  is  no  reason  why  the  more  advanced 
pupils  in  our  Church  Schools  and  Sunday-Schools, 
shouldjiot  take  up  the  study  of  the  history  of  th& 
Church.  This  book  may  be  helpful  to  such 
as  a  text  book — the  outline  lessons  appended  being 
followed.  For  younger  pupils  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  assign  a  chapter  or  part  of  a  chapter, 
and  then  question  them  upon  the  portion  studied', 
the  instructor  adding  the  additional  facts  and 
explanations  needed. 

Older  scholars,  who  are  competent  to  prepare 
essays,  could  follow  closely  the  outline  lessons, 
consulting  standard  works  and  reading  the  essays 
in  turn  in  class. 

In  nearly  every  parish  the  Rector  could  form  a 
class  of  adults  to  whom  this  study  would  be  most 
interesting  and  valuable. 

The  portions  marked  under  some  of  the  lessons 
would  be  too  long  for  one  evening's  recitation, 
with  the  accompanying  essays.  The  instructoi 
must  regulate  the  length  to  suit  the  time.     Where 


IN    CHURCH    HISTORY.  143 

essays  are  not  prepared,  it  would  answer  the  pur- 
pose to  appoint  some  one  to  read  aloud  upon  the 
points  indicated,  and  then  spend  the  time  in  con- 
versation upon  the  topics  thus  brought  up. 

It  will  not  he  difficult,  however,  to  find  members 
of  the  class  who  will  prepare  and  read  essays,  and 
that  is  the  best  plan.  The  writing  of  essays,  the 
reading  of  quotations,  and  general  conversation 
upon  the  topics,  would  probably  be  combined  at 
each  meeting. 


LESSON  OUTLINES  FOR  CLASSES. 

I. 

1.  Is  there  any  connection  between  the  Church  of  Christ 

and  previous  dispensations  ? 

2.  Sketch  the  history  of  the  Jewish  Church.  [Bible.] 

3.  Give  an  account  of  Abraham.  [Bible.] 

4.  What  promises  were  made  to  our  first  parents  ?    [Bible.] 

5.  Trace  out  through  the  Old  Testament  some  of  the  pre- 

dictions relating  to  the  coming  of  the  Messiah. 

II. 

1.  Give  some  account  of  the  political  condition  of  the  world 

when  Christ  was  born. 

2.  Give  some  account  of  the  social  condition  of  the  world 

when  Christ  was  born. 

3.  Give  some  account  of  the  religious  condition  of  the  world 

when  Christ  was  born. 

4.  Show  how  these  particulars  indicated  that  the  time  was 

ripe  for  His  coming. 

III. 

1.  Where  do  we  find  an  outline  of  the  earthly  life  of  Christ  ? 

2.  Give  an  account  of  His  birth,  and  life,  up  to  the  time  of 

His  baptism. 

3.  Make  a  sketch  of  His  life    to  the    time  of  the  Last 

Supper. 


CHURCH   HISTORY.  14 5 

4.  Describe  the  events  of  the  Crucifixion,  Resurrection  and 

Ascension. 

5.  Show  from  the  Gospel  narratives  the  proof  of  His  Divin- 

ity. 

IV. 

1.  What  is  meant  by  the  kingdom  of  God  ? 

2.  What  features  of  the  Church  do  we  find  explicitly  in- 

stituted  by  Christ  ? 

3.  What  others  may  we  infer  that  He  instituted  ? 

4.  What  were  the  features  of  the  Church  which  became 

evident  wherever  it  was  planted. 

5.  From  the  Acts  and  the  Epistles  repeat  the  argument  for 

Confirmation — for  Liturgical  worship — for  a  ministry 
of  three  orders. 

V. 

1.  Describe  the  events  of  the  day  of  Pentecost  ?         [Acts.] 

2.  Give  a  summary  of  the  events  in  Jerusalem  up  to  the 

time  of  the  holding  of  the  first  Council.  [Acts.] 

3.  Sketch  the  life  and  travels  of  St.  Paul. 

4.  Sketch  the  lives  of  the  Apostles. 

VI. 

1.  Give  an  account  of  the  first  Deacons. 

2.  Name  and  give  an  account  of  others  who  helped  establish 

the  Church. 

3.  Describe  the  seven  Churches  of  Asia  named  in  the  Reve- 

lation. 

4.  Give  an  account  of  the  extension  of  the  Gospel  in  the 

first  century. 

5.  Describe  the  siege  and  capture  of  Jerusalem. 

VII. 

1.  Why  were  the  Christians  persecuted  by  the  Jews? 

2.  Give  an  account  of  the  Jewish  persecutions. 


I46  MANUAL    OF    INSTRUCTION 

3.  Why  did  the  Romans  persecute  the  Christians  ? 

4.  Describe  the  persecutions  by  the  Romans. 

5.  Sketch  the  lives  of  Nero,  Domitian,  and  other  persecuting 

Emperors. 

6.  Name  some  of  the  results  of  the  persecutions. 

VIII. 

1.  Who  are  called  the  Ante-Nicene  Fathers  ? 

2.  Make  sketches  of  the  lives  of  Ignatius,  Justin  Martyr, 

Polycarp,  Irenseus,  Tertullian,  Origen  and  Cyprian. 

IX. 

1.  Give  an  account  of  the  career  of  Constantine. 

2.  What  were  the  results,  to  the  Church,  of  his  accession  ? 

3.  Describe  the  city  of  Constantinople,  as  he  founded  it. 

X. 

1.  Give  an  account  of  each  of  the  six  general  Councils. 

2.  Explain  the  object  for  which  each  met. 

3.  State  the  doctrinal  points  each  settled. 

XI. 

1.  Make  a  sketch  of  the  career  of  Julian  the  Apostate. 

2.  Give  an  account  of  the  irruption  of  the  barbarians. 

3.  Sketch  the  rise  and  progress  of  Mohammedanism. 

XII. 

1.  Give  an  account  of  Ambrose,  Chrysostom,  Augustine, 

Cyril,  Leo,  Jerome  and  Anthony. 

2.  Sketch  the  career  of  other  great  Christians  of  that  pe- 

riod. 

XIII. 

1.  Describe  the  condition  of  Europe  after   the  pe^riod  of  the 

Sixth  Council. 

2.  Sketch  the  progress  of  the  Saracen  power. 

10 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY.  I47 

3.  Describe  the  rise  of  the  Papacy. 

4.  The  origin  of  the  Monastic  orders. 

5.  Explain  the  Feudal  system. 

6.  What  led  to  the  division  of  the  Church  ? 

XIV. 

1.  Describe  the  origin  and  progress  of  the  Crusades. 

2.  Who  became  prominent  during  the  Crusades  ? 

3.  What  errors  were  introduced  into  the  Roman  Church  ? 

4.  Explain  the  changes  made  by  new  inventions  and  dis. 

coveries. 

5.  Recount  the  changes  made  by  the  fall  of  Feudalism. 

XV. 

1.  What  were  the  causes  of  the  Reformation  ? 

2.  Give  an  account  of  the  career  of  Wicliffe. 

3.  Sketch  the  life  of  Luther. 

4.  Give  the  history  of  the  English  Reformation. 

5.  Explain  the  difference  between  the  Reformation  in  Eng- 

land  and  that  on  the  Continent. 

XVI. 

1.  Give  an  account  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

2.  Sketch  the  history  of  the  Jesuits. 

3.  Give  a  history  of  the  Eastern  Church. 

4.  Give  an  account  of  the  Puritans. 

5.  Continue  the  history  of  the  English  Church. 

6.  Explain  the  origin  of  the  Protestant  societies. 

XVII. 

1.  Give  an  outline  of  the  condition  of  the  Christian  world 

as  it  is  to-day. 

2.  What   are  the  points  of  agreement    and   of   difference 

between  the  divisions  of  Christendom. 

3.  Give  the  history  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  this  country, 

and  compare  her  position  with  that  of  other  Christian 
bodies. 


BOOKS  OF  REFERENCE. 


The  books  are  grouped  according  to  the  out- 
line of  the  lessons. 

The  student  must  not  be  surprised  to  find 
varying  views  expressed  in  the  books  here  named. 
In  placing  the  title  of  a  book  on  this  list,  the  writer 
does  not  thereby  express  any  opinion  as  to  an 
author's  views.  It  is  part  of  the  student's  discipline 
to  search  for  the  truth,  and  to  compare  authorities. 
Whenever  he  finds  views  advanced  which  aie  not 
in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  the  Church,  it 
will  be  safest  to  confer  with  his  rector. 

The  list  given  is  not  exhaustive,  nor  perhaps 
the  best  in  all  cases.  It  comprises  such  as  are 
most  easily  accessible,  and  can  readily  be  enlarged 
by  the  instructor  of  the  class. 


BOOKS  OF  REFERENCE. 


The  looks  refer  to  the  topics  marked  in  the  Lesson 

OUTLINC". 


I. 


The  Chosen  People. 

Miss  Yonge. 

The  Jewish  Church. 

Stanley. 

History  of  the  Jews. 

Milman. 

Christology  of  the  Old  Testament. 

Hengstenbarg. 

The  Prophecies. 

Newton. 

II. 

Eighteen  Christian  Centuries. 

White. 

History  of  the  Christian  Church. 

S chaff. 

Christ  in  History. 

Young. 

Introduction  to  the  History  of  the  Churcr 

l.   Jarvis. 

History  of  Christianity. 

Milman. 

Christ  and  other  Masters. 

Hardzvick. 

Seekers  after  Truth. 

Sunday  Library, 

III. 

The  Life  of  Christ. 

Farrar. 

The  Life  of  Christ. 

Ellicott. 

Devotional  Commentary  on  the  Gospel. 

Williams. 

Narrative. 

The  Religion  of  the  Christ. 

Leathes. 

Our  Lord's  Divinitv. 

Liddon* 

ISO 


MANUAL    OF   INSTRUCTION 
IV. 


The  Holy  Catholic  Church.  Goulburtu 

The  Administration  of  the  Spirit.  Moberly. 

Church  Doctrine — Bible  Truth.  Sadler. 

The  Sayings  of  the  Great  Forty  Days.  Moberly. 

Defence  of  Episcopacy.  Onderdonk. 


V. 


History  of  the  Early  Church. 
Life  and  Travels  of  St.  Paul. 
Lives  of  the  Apostles. 
Ecclesiastical  History. 


Seiuell. 
Cony  bear c  (2r»  How  sot 
Cave. 
Ensebius. 


The  Planting  of  the  Christian  Church.       Neander. 


VI. 

Acts  of  the  Deacons. 

Church  History. 

Church  History. 

Also, 

The  Seven  Churches  of  Asia. 

The  Chosen  People. 


Goulburn. 
Robertson. 
Milner. 
Eusebius,  jfosephus,  Seiuell. 
Treneh. 
Yonge. 


VII. 

For  secular  history  consult  the  standard  Histories  of  Rome. 
Milner,  Robertson,  Milman,  Seiuell,  Eusebius,  for  History 
of  the  Church. 


Book  of  Martyrs. 

Fox. 

Catacombs. 

VIII. 

Kip. 

Lives  of  the  Fathers. 

Cave. 

Pupils  of  St.  John. 

Sezuell. 

The  Works  of  the  Fathers. 

Ante-Nicene  Library \ 

Dictionary  of  Ecclesiastical  Biography.       Hook. 


IN   CHURCH    HISTORY. 
IX. 


151 


Latin  Christianity. 
For  secular  history. 
Eastern  Church. 


X. 


Standard  Secular  histories,  and 
History  of  Sects  and  Heresies. 
The  Six  General  Councils. 
Church  History. 

XI. 


Mil  man. 

Standard  Hist.  Route. 

Stanley. 

Milman  and  Milner, 
Blunt. 
Dix. 
Kurtz,  Afosheim,  Butler. 


Muir. 

Stanley. 


Cave. 
Hook. 

Augustine. 


As  above. 

Also,  Life  of  Mahomet. 

Eastern  Church,  p.  360. 

XII. 
As  in  section  X. 
Also,  Lives  of  the  Fathers. 
Dictionary,  Ecclesiastical  Biography. 
See  separate  Lives  of  Chrysostom,  etc. 
Confessions. 
Translated  Works.  Library  0/ the  Fathers. 

XIII. 

Standard  Secular  Histories,  and  Church  Histories,  as  before 

named. 

Eighteen  Christian  Centuries. 
Eastern  Church. 
Pope's  Supremacy. 
Monastic  Orders. 

XIV. 

As  in  former  section. 
Also,  History  of  the  Crusades. 
Crusade  of  the  Children. 
Standard  Histories  of  England. 


White. 
Stanley. 
Barrow. 
Different  Authors. 


Different  Authors, 
Gray. 


152 


MANUAL  OF  INSTRUCTION. 


History  of  Church  of  England.  Short. 

Early  English  Church.  Churton. 

History  of  England.  Berard. 

Church  History  in  England.  Martineau. 

XV. 

History  of  Reformation.  MassingK* 

Reformation  of  Church  of  England.  Blunt. 

Reformers  before  the  Reformation. 
Lives  of  Luther,  /fuss,  Melancthon,  etc. 
Also,  Standard  Histories. 


XVI. 

Standard  Histories,  as  before. 

Ecclesiastical  Polity. 

Hooker. 

Lives. 

Walton. 

Puritanism. 

Colt. 

History  of  his  own  Time. 

Burnett. 

History  of  Sects  and  Heresies. 

Blunt. 

Life  of  Wesley. 

XVII. 

S out  hey. 

Catechesis. 

Wordsworth 

Theophilus  Americanus. 

(C 

Memoirs  of  Episcopal  Church. 

Bp.   White. 

Reprints  of  Historical  Papers. 

Perry. 

Pioneers  and  Founders. 

Yonge. 

<0S~  Any  of  these  books  can  be  supplied  by  T.  WKITTA 
cCER,  Publisher,  2  Bible  House,  New  York. 


931 
Sh63 


0057102864 


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AUG  8      1960 


